July 27, 4021 17:51 [Khar Khot- Lancer Docks]

A dry afternoon heat swept over the Lancer Docks as two figures smoked on the balcony overlooking the desert. A mild wind lazily rolled over the dunes, pushing sand back and forth like waves in the ocean.

“Any news from Yoru?”

“Nothing of note. Tensions are still high, but plans are going smoothly. Rudra’s in the capital. He’s accompanying Amagi Sól as his escort.”

“So if all goes well, we should be able to move into position within a year.”

“A year is a long time. I’m sick of this place. Hopefully, we can get things rolling sooner.”

Hart took a long drag from his cigarette, nodding. He exhaled slowly, flicking ash from the end. “You know, I got word from Tengri.”

“Really? What did he say?”

Hart scowled. “He said that Cecil’s been traipsing around Matriarch 04 posing as a Crow.”

Gauss raised an eyebrow as he let out a steady stream of smoke, the billowing vapor rising into the air. “Why’s he dressing up like a grunt?”

“Something about meeting a friend of his.”

“Couldn’t he just do that without the getup?”

“I don’t think he wants his friend to know.”

“Matriarch 04…isn’t that where Kǔ Shén sent all the Traitless?”

“Yeah, although Cecil’s friend is a special case like Rudra.”

Gauss pondered, looking out at the desert, the sun beginning its descent towards the horizon. “I remember Rudra saying something about his sister being transported to Matriarch 04. Is she Traitless too?”

Hart shook his head. “No. All the Traitless have been congregated at Matriarch 04, but we’ve also brought in some Homunculi as candidates.”

“Replacements?”

Hart was silent for a moment. “There’s no guarantee we’ll survive this ordeal, no matter how strong we are. We need to make sure the country’s being protected, that’s all.”

Gauss frowned. “Are there any promising prospects?”

“Tengri’s nominated a few people. A kid named Kaluza; uses momentum to generate hard-hitting attacks.”

“Anyone else?”

“The special case is up for consideration. They’re having him undergo some tests and collecting samples, though. So I don’t know how much of him will be left once they're done. Rudra’s sister and another candidate from Matriarch 05 are also up for consideration.”

“What are all the Traitless doing in Matriarch 04 anyway? If Kǔ Shén wanted to use them as fodder, why not station them here for the war?”

Hart took another drag. “Apparently, a fracking crew stumbled across an underground cavern system in Manzhouli. When they ventured inside they discovered an entire ecosystem, brimming with strange energy.”

“Strange energy?”

“Their detectors went haywire. But there were no deposits of stone, mineral, or signs of another resource anywhere they searched. It was as if the air itself was imbued with power.”

“Do you think it was Shakti?”

“I’m not sure. Kǔ Shén was notified immediately of the discovery. He ordered the crew to explore further. They delved deeper into the area until they ran into something and then their transmission went dark.”

“What? So the entire crew just vanished?”

Hart nodded. “There were sounds of a struggle. A crew member managed to get ahold of the comms, his last words being, ‘It’s in the Sunken Forest.’”

“We’re sending troops into a forest to search for an energy source that we don’t even know how to identify? Brilliant.”

Hart sighed, chewing the butt of his cigarette. “Our country is running low on Virya. The whole point of this war is to take Levante’s remaining stockpile. This forest might lead us to an alternate solution.”

“Still, why the need for so many soldiers?”

“The fracking crew wasn’t a small one. It consisted of almost two hundred active workers at any given time. That many people don’t just go missing for no reason.”

“You’re saying something’s down there?”

“Maybe. If there is something down there it’s guarding its territory tenaciously, and now it’s been alerted to the possibility of invaders. The Traitless are being sent out to explore the Sunken Forest as the advanced guard. The expedition will most likely face some form of retaliation.”

Gauss reached for another cigarette, extinguishing the first. “Like lambs to the slaughter.”

“The candidates are being sent out as well, accompanied by Tengri and Jin. Although, they’ll probably be fine. Whatever lurks below will have to raze down thousands of Traitless before it reaches them.”

“And the new Trait accelerant formula? I thought that was meant for the Traitless?”

“Only the survivors.”

“Why isn’t he sending Cecil?”

“He refused. Said he needed to stay with the good doctor.”

“Ouma? That bitch is in Matriarch 04 too?”

Hart shrugged. “Kǔ Shén’s making her run all the experiments on the special case. It seems that they were close. I wonder what would happen if he found out that his friend was the one picking him apart.” He reached out with the lighter, holding a flame at the end of Gauss’ cigarette until a red glow appeared.

“Thanks. When are they setting out?”

“Same time, ten weeks from now. Tengri’s going to teach them how to harness Shakti and how to handle Virya firearms.”

“So things are finally being set into motion.”

“Seems like it.” There was a pause. Hart lit a second cigarette for himself, watching as the sun sank lower in the distance. “I’m curious, why’d you let him win?”

There was no reaction from Gauss. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You had your heart set on showing him up. But you let him strike you down.”

“It was a lucky shot.”

“There’s no luck involved when it comes to you.”

Gauss’ expression remained stoic. “It wasn’t a fair fight. If I beat him as he was, I wouldn’t be able to show my face to him.”

Hart clicked his tongue. “Cecil? You’re an embarrassment.”

Gauss remained quiet, slowly taking another pull.

Hart extinguished his cigarette, staring coldly at him. “If you want a sparring partner then ask me. But don’t besmirch our title for your selfish whims.” He flicked his cigarette at him, proceeding to walk away.

Gauss continued to look at the sunset. He sighed. I should apologize to them. But I can’t. Not yet…