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  “To Major General Harris-Space Command, I am Task Force Medical Lead Vedant Desai, a professor from Johns Hopkins University working in coordination with the Department of Defense. We thank the DoD for choosing us to research this great discovery. The specimens you have brought to us are unbelievable.

  The corpses you brought us have left many questions. Colonel Katherine Evergreen, the woman you had pced in charge, has refused to tell us where you found them. However, we have our theories. Do not worry; everyone within this Task Force has chosen and agreed to the security protocols. The history that we are witnessing is mind-blowing.

  When these “unidentified bodies” were delivered three days ago, Colonel Evergreen informed us that they believed the two humanoid types were Homo erectus and Neanderthal. It took time; however, we were able to confirm that the human bodies sent are reted to those types of ancient humans. We took what little data we had from the ancient bones paleontologists had dug up over the generations. Cross-analysis revealed a direct link between these creatures and our ancient ancestors.

  However, we have discovered changes within their DNA and RNA. With tens of thousands of years of evolution, it would make sense for there to be changes from our records and modern-day living Homo erectus and Neanderthal. However, we have also discovered a strange gnd with traces of a peculiar radiation source, or at least that is what my staff calls it. Not every one of the bodies had this gnd, only a select few. What was strange was that the other species you had brought us, which looked like a Vampire, had a simir gnd.

  The vampire bodies you sent us had a simir situation to these two humans. Most did not have these gnds, while a select few do. As of now, we have no theory to expin why.

  Regarding the Vampire-like species, our Programable Intelligence search engines had yet to discover any trace of their genes in all of Earth's known categories. While it is still early to assume, as we have only begun our research on the corpses you have brought us, this species seems alien from our environment.

  Based on the samples that the DoD has provided, these fang-like creatures are hematophagous, the first known humanoid type of a species that needs blood to survive. These creatures do have simir organs like humans, implying that they can consume foodstuff like us; however, we have no context to what degree or levels of consumption are needed.” – Professor Vedant Desai to Major General Harris, Space Command

  March, 8th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

  Hiplose Woods, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

  Nevali Region, Aldrida, Agore

  *****

  Listening to the Americans talk about past experiences in their world only made Natilite more curious about the subject. In some ways, it sounded simir: dancing, social gatherings, drinking, obsession with and hatred of politics, and, most importantly, romance. She also picked up many comments, like frequent air travel, mass mobile transportation, and something about a soup bowl or Superbowl; she needed to understand the team's terms fully.

  She still struggled to understand how to speak with people from other worlds. She had no idea what to expect; however, how different they were from the people of Agore never crossed her mind.

  As Comanche walked through the forest, Natilite asked, "What is Earth like?"

  "That is a big question," King replied. "It is just as complex as this world in the geopolitical sense."

  "That says a lot," Natilite said. "I have been struggling to imagine your world without magic, let alone only having one race. You do not have the Nagel, J'avais, or my kind?"

  "That is partly correct," Ryder said. "We are the only type of humans on Earth as of now but from the dead J'avais we have, our scientists are confident that they are Homo erectus strain of our species."

  "And the Nagels?" Fraeya asked.

  "We still need to do studies, but we think they are the Neanderthal subgroup," Ryder said.

  "And my kind?" Natilite asked.

  Ryder pced his hand on his chin. "Honestly, we have no idea. Norse mythology is the only one that mentions your kind, and we have no skeleton evidence of your kind."

  "That we know of," Barrios said as he walked by. "

  "What do you mean by that?" Fraeya asked. "As we know of?"

  "From what I understand," Barrios said. "Archaeologists keep pushing the date of the first human civilization back. What is it, twelve thousand years now?"

  "Really?" Fraeya before turning toward Ford. "Is that true?"

  Benjamin Ford looked at the Elf Girl, confused. "I…, I have no idea. History is not my strong suit, but it sounds right."

  The Valkyrie noticed that Fraeya asked Ford and no one else the question and smiled at the sight. The tanned Wood Elf looked slightly disappointed at the American boy's reaction, seeing that he had failed the test of interest. She was happy to see another simir detail between worlds: that males were as clueless about the female gaze on Altaerrie as they were on this world.

  "Make sense," Forest said. "I am just shocked Barrios here knows that."

  "Hey," Barrios said. "I was trying to sleep with this burnet who was really into anthropology. She made me work for it, listening to ruins and dead people. Who knew listening would be useful at some point?"

  Hearing the tan-skinned man, Natilite pced her hand on her forehead and shook. "I cannot believe it. Men are the same everywhere."

  Barrios and Walce looked toward each other and jointly said, "damn right," before fist-butting each other.

  The Tempr stared at the two and giggled, finding the brotherhood sight adorable.

  "Back on topic before I get another HR compint," Ryder said. "Bruno might be right. We have no idea when the Bridge was pced on Earth, and I assume the same here. Maybe the connection of our worlds goes deeper than we can imagine."

  "I am starting to think the same," Natilie said. "One issue is puzzling to me: What happened to them all? Why are there only Lat-like humans on Earth?"

  When she finished her sentence, she noticed an awkward silence among Comanche, almost as if no one wanted to reply.

  "They went extinct," Fraeya said.

  "They did?" Natilite was shocked by the fact. "How did you know?"

  "Ryder told me when I was their prisoner," Fraeya said.

  Natilite stopped walking and looked directly at the Elf Girl in shock. "You were their prisoner?"

  Fraeya was about to respond before she realized what she had said. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that part. We could not understand each other, so they locked me in a room and yelled at me forever. But that is okay; we became friends afterward. Besides, I got to look out a big window and saw a flying machine that went into the cosmic sea, so I was happy."

  "Point is," King said. "On Earth, they went extinct hundreds of thousands of years ago, before any known civilization. It is believed the reason why our kind, homo sapiens, won the evolutionary arms race was because we were the most adaptable. At least that is what they say."

  "I can believe that," Natilite said. "J'avais are one of the most war-like races on Agore."

  "That says a lot," Forest said.

  "I had a feeling you would say that," Natilite said. "According to the Legend, when the Lats came here through the Bridge thousands of years ago, they crawled from the dirt to become one of the major powers on Aldrida. It is why the J'avais, or what you call, Homo erectus, are angry with them. They feel jealous with all their military might; they never could build their own civilization that equals the Lats."

  Natilite pced her hand on her chin as she reflected on the conversation. Assuming that Earth was the homeworld of all of humanity and only the Altaerrie were the ones who remain, that could cause problems with racial politics.

  "If what you say is true, that might become an issue," Natilite said. "The Unity will extract that information from your people and smear you."

  "She is right," King said. "Imagine every town across this moon with a bulletin board stating that the Altaerrie wiped out all other races."

  "That sounds childish," Ford said. "How would anyone believe that? It happened hundreds of thousands of years ago."

  "Sorry, Ben, but Rommel is correct," Barret said. “A lie spreads faster than the truth. We see that every day stateside. We must assume our enemies here will do the same. They can cim whatever they want, and the narrative becomes public truth when we learn of it.”

  As the conversation continued regarding the potential narrative the Unity might utilize against the Altaerrie, Natilite overheard the two soldiers in front of her, Charlie Higgins and Kurt Forest, using the word "sve."

  Natilite missed most of the conversation; however, she could tell it was reted to what they saw at the Kitsune vilge. “Do you gentlemen have a question?”

  The two stopped and turned around.

  “Just having a friendly debate,” Forest said.

  “Let's not beat around the bush,” Higgins said. “That vilge was using sve bor.”

  “Yeah, so?” Natilite responded. “They are a vilge.”

  “So, this is common?” Higgins asked.

  “Somewhat,” Natilite said before looking toward the Fraeya. “You have been to their world; do they have something simir?”

  That was when she saw the Elf Girl sighing, gncing away. “Fraeya.”

  "In their country,” Fraeya said, “Svery was abolished hundreds of years ago, at least in the civilized world. And I did not see or hear anything about a motuia."

  Feeling angry for not being informed about such essential details until now, Natilite gred at the young Wood Elf, to which the elf realized the mistake. "We need to have a long conversation once we return to Salva."

  “Sorry,” Fraeya said.

  Turning back to the two Americans, she collected her thoughts. While annoyed by the elf, the girl provided one insight. She hadn’t heard anything about motuia, which led her to conclude that they didn’t have these two social hierarchies.

  “To answer your question, it depends,” Natilite said as she took a frustrated breath. “Sve bor exists on Agore, but it is not institutionalized, if that makes sense. You mostly see it on the outskirts and in poorer regions.”

  “Why is that?” Higgins asked. “It's free bor? I thought the entire point of sves.”

  “I do not understand what you mean by free bor,” Natilite said. “Nothing is free in life. Housing, feeding, and training sves usually cost a fortune. It is one reason why every nation has switched to industrial crafting. I just assumed that is what it was like in your world.”

  “It kind of is,” Ford said. “We had a simir Industrial Revolution that made svery obsolete.”

  “That still doesn't make sense,” Higgins said.

  “Actually, it does,” Forest said. “Many of the Founding Fathers hated the practice because it was costly to maintain, so that is not her making it up. Even the Romans compined about how expensive it was to maintain a free bor force.”

  “That is the same mindset here overall,” Natilite said. “The problem is, it is hard to train and educate a sve. While it is legal, it is seen more as a punishment over a source of bor in the civilized regions.”

  “What about the vilge?” Higgins asked. “If it's uncommon, why did we see a dozen of them?”

  “Because they are poor and trying to survive,” Natilite said. “Most likely, they were prisoners from a rival vilge or were being punished for something. Some might be there trying to show their worth by joining their cn, but that's typically reserved for a motuia over a sve.”

  “You said punishments,” Gonzales said. “What do you mean? If someone passes the speed limit, you're stripped of your rights?”

  “I do not know what you mean by speed limits,” Natilite said. “But I am assuming you mean a minor crime. The answer is no. The sve punishments are reserved for people who commit murders, rapes, people who commit treason or people who did great wrong.”

  “Criminals?” Higgins asked. “Sorry to keep harping on this issue, but I never heard of a government restraining itself to such a degree. You are not talking about someone shoplifting an apple?”

  “I do not know what an apple is,” Natilite said. “But not really. Crimes reted to what I said are not important enough to ensve. You have committed something grand to get that punishment in the civilized world. Prisoners of war can be included, but most armies avoid that as they do not want their soldiers ensved. As I said, it is no longer common since we adapted motuias.”

  “Interesting,” Forest said. “Let's back up for a moment. You said a word none of us have heard before. What is a motuia?"

  “This is weird,” Natilite said as she scratched the back of her head. “I never had to expin any of this before.”

  “I can,” Fraeya said with a thrill in her voice. “At the academy, I had a friend who became one after graduation.”

  “Go for it.”

  “Motuia is a type of indentured servant social css that we have on Agore," Fraeya expined. “It is when a person voluntarily signs a contract with a master for some type of job or service.”

  “Why would anyone indenture themselves?” Higgins asked. “That makes no sense.”

  “Well, for many reasons,” Fraeya said. Many seek to be moduia so a Master can take them in. That could be in magic, crafting, engineering, or anything of value, like my friend from the academy. He agreed to become a motuia by someone more experienced and knowledgeable than him. In return, he gained knowledge from his owner. This is pretty common.”

  “Are you telling me all your workers sign over their freedoms for a paycheck?” Ford asked.

  “Why would a worker sign over his rights?” Natilite asked. “They can, but I do not see why anyone would unless you are doing highly specialized work. It is common within the servant archives. Within crafting, typically, a moduia is, with the person in charge of the project, not the assembly, if that makes sense.”

  “It does,” Ford said.

  “It depends on the need,” Natilite said. “But, that is why so many choose the path. It is a door for those in need.”

  “I see where this is going,” Forest said. “It is a type of apprenticeship.”

  “That is correct,” Natilite said. “Nothing is free. If one seeks knowledge or a skill set, one must give it to oneself. In return, their master takes them under their guidance and gives them a lifetime of knowledge to him.”

  “I think the confusion is that it sounds open-ended,” Barrett said. “In one instance, you say it is an apprenticeship program, but in the next, you say it is for the underprivileged to gain upward mobility.”

  “You are correct,” Natilite said. “It originally started as a master student, but over time, it had expanded over the centuries to include farmers, servants, and administrators. If there is a need to serve, archive, bor, or educate, there is a motuia. Many of the poor use the system to gain upward mobility. There are many reasons why, as I know Higgins will ask. Some become one with the dream of starting their profession, while others seek a stable source of shelter, food, and pay. Others serve to have their debt expunged. And as I said before, others use it to earn the right to join a cn or fellowship.”

  “Regarding the vilge,” Natilite continued. “There was a nagal who worked as a bcksmith. I saw his binark, meaning he was a motuia. I will admit, it was strange seeing a motuia there in that context. He could be paying a life debt or agreeing to provide his services for a home, or he is learning a craft that the vilge specializes in. I do not know, but he was not a sve.”

  “What is a binark?” Ryder asked.

  Natilite gnced up to collect her thoughts, trying to find a simir example to the Americans' clip wallets. That was when she remembered their clip wallets. To her surprise, Fraeya spoke with an example already in mind, as she had taken an interest in Altaerrie technology.

  “It is a vampire word,” Fraeya expined. "Binot means binding marker. It is like your cards in clip wallets or dog tags around your neck. A sage who specializes in such enchantments uses mana-enhanced ink. A crystal dispy shows the information that is programmed in the binark.”

  “In short,” Natilite interjected. "Guilds use it to pce a marker on a sve or moduia: the owner, what guild they belong to, and what type of contract they are apart from. And before you guys conclude, the military, government, and other guilds use the marker throughout society for many things—not just reted to motuias.”

  The Tempr breathed as she felt exhausted trying to expin her world's culture. She saw the Americans whisperingly debate amongst themselves, poking at every detail she said. Some struggled to differentiate between a motuia and a sve, while others focused on the apprentice element. This baffled her, but she understood that she was born in this world and must check her biases.

  “It is starting to sound like a welfare work program,” Forest said.

  “Welfare?” Higgins said. “Give up your right to vote, and you can get a job. I wouldn’t call that welfare.”

  “You know that is not what I meant,” Forest said.

  “I know,” Higgins said. “But, can you not see? Every corporation would love to abuse that. We will give you a job; however, you no longer can vote to protect yourself. Haven’t we learned anything from our history?”

  “Except for the fact that isn’t how it works,” Forest said. “For welfare, we just give out money and hope for the best. How is that better than what Natilite said? At least there is an attempt to be proactive and incentivize something better. Because they are right, nothing is free in life.”

  “I do not know,” Higgins said. “I get what she is trying to say, but the fact that you give up your freedoms baffles me. Who on Earth would do that?”

  “We are not on Earth,” Walce said.

  “You know what I meant,” Higgins replied.

  “There are plenty of examples on Earth where people give up their rights to gain something,” Forest said.

  “Maybe if they are desperate,” Higgins said. “But not in the first world.”

  “I know a few people who might consider the option, assuming it as legitimate as Fraeya described,” Forest said. “The idea of having someone provide shelter and food; in return, you work for them.”

  “Name one,” Higgins demanded.

  “Marxists,” Forest quickly responded. “How often do you hear them wanting the government to nationalize everything so they can get free stuff? At least with this motuia thing, you must work for what you want. And think about it; I am assuming the owner has to take care of their student; otherwise, it would just be svery. You indenture yourself and get guaranteed pay, a roof over your head, food, water, and a skillset for when the contract ends. That is the point; it is a contract, not really ownership. History has shown that most would rather have that over the right to vote.”

  “That is true,” Higgins said. “But should we accept that? We don’t live in huts anymore and have spent nearly three hundred years moving away from any form of ownership of others. We all had that one boss, a tyrant at work because they gained the minimum power.”

  Forest stood there for a moment, reflecting on what the Airman said. He took a breath and ughed. “I worked at a supermarket. Some customers man will go on a crusade. I will grant you that point.”

  “I wish to go back to Higgins's question, which I did,” Natilite said. To her surprise, everyone looked at her as if shocked. We remembered they only knew her as a Tempr and had just met. It was clear that none of them had ever met someone like that before outside of a negative context, and it showed her how little they understood this world; however, she wondered if she would feel the same if she ever went to earth.

  “You were ensved?” Ryder asked, shocking Natilite as he had remained quiet up to this point.

  “Yes,” Natilite said. “Harpies attacked my vilge. I was spared and sold for a few years. The service guild bought a group of us and turned us into motuia. A Swordsmen Adventurer contracted me. From there, I was able to rebuild my life, and he influenced me to become a Tempr. Everything I say comes from my experience.”

  “And that is why you support svery and motuia?” Higgins asked, confused by her statement.

  “No,” Natilite said. “I oppose svery because of that experience. Svery does not provide a future. A moduia does. This has allowed most of us to phase the institution out.”

  “My issue is that you allow the rich and powerful to have maximum control over a person,” Higgins said. “There is no way you can convince me there is no abuse in that. So many people abuse others just because they have rights and protections. A system where you surrender all your rights and expect no abuse. I struggle to see past that.”

  “I think the misunderstanding is that you seem to believe that a moduia has no rights, like a sve,” Natilite said.

  “That is correct,” Higgins said. “You said it yourself; you indenture yourself for a steady job or a higher education.”

  “Indenturing yourself does not mean you have no rights,” Natilite said. “Forest was correct earlier; there are many protections. The owner or master cannot do as he pleases with his motuia. That could get someone in major trouble with the Guilds.”

  “So, there is no abuse at all?” Higgins asked, staring at the Valkyrie in disbelief.

  “Before I answer that, let me ask you this first,” Natilite said. “Do your people never abuse power once they have it?”

  Higgins started to chuckle and took a deep breath. “You got me there.”

  “I promise you, there are protections,” Natilite said. “The core reason motuias exist is to provide incentives and protections for everyone, rich or poor. It is very reguted and monitored through the Guilds. As I said, there is a contract, and breaking that contract by either party is taken seriously by the Guilds, as their profits and reputation are at risk. Most are judged by how they treat their indentured servants, assuming they have any. Even the people in power are held to that standard. If breaking a contract, you can get fined. If it's a serious offense, you could have your freedoms taken away and ensved as punishment.”

  “She is correct,” Fraeya said. “When I was in my csses, one of the professors lost their status and the right to take someone under his guidance because of steep abuse.”

  “And there was the brothel owner who got caught breaking so many of her contracts, the tribunal stripped her freedoms and was sentenced to a life of svery,” Natilite said. “To be fair, that is rare, but it was that serious. You do not break contracts.”

  “I know a few people on Wall Street I want to introduce this to,” Barrios said, ughing.

  “Also, it is very uncommon for the powerful to own a sve,” Natilite said. “Less educated, harder to train. It says a lot about who you are. It is easier and more beneficial to have someone willing to work for you, either already having the skills you need or willing to learn.”

  “Hold up,” Gonzales interjected. “It sounds like you use svery as a threat to maintain social order in your society.”

  “I would not put it like that,” Natilite said. “But yes. Returning to the vilge, I see that it is a relic from a different era because most of the economic and political activities are focused on the cities. Vilges orbit around them like Tekali children and are seen as a source of food, manpower for wars, and such. Outside of that, they are left alone.”

  Forest ughed. “Except for the st part, that is how it works in the US. Maybe they can take a lesson on leaving people alone.”

  “Not now, Kurt,” Barrett said.

  “I get what you’re saying, Natilite,” Higgins said. “Things are different, but I understand where you are coming from. I don’t like the ownership of someone else part, but I do see where you are coming from.”

  The team's mood changed as the Americans' concerns were addressed, and Rommel King approached the two. "This was a good philosophical debate, but we have a job. We are not here to radically change this world, but if we find these Toriffa bastard abuse any of the prisoners, they're dead."

  "And I only ask to allow me to be the one who removes their head for such a crime," Natilite said.

  With some ughter from the Tempr comments, Comanche regrouped and continued their march through the rocky forest. Natilite, on the other hand, hung back as she reflected on the subject. The Americans were different than expected, and she wondered if all Altaerrie were simir. She then noticed the captain approaching her.

  "Are you okay?" Ryder asked.

  "Yes," Natilite said. "I was just absorbing the topic. This was a conversation I was not prepared for."

  "It is my fault," Ryder said. "I should have seen this coming, but I am gd it aired. This is a sensitive topic for us, and it would be unhealthy if we continued to ignore the issue."

  "I guess that is good," Natilite said. "It is good that we are working out our differences now, and I just hope it strengthens us. Though…, I will admit, I am worried they hate me because of our cultural differences."

  Ryder smirked. "Of course not. I assume what you said was true. I don't fully understand this motuia system, but I can see how it differs from svery. Charlie and Kurt brought up good points; maybe we could find a bance between our values and this world's culture. I see this motuia institution's merit, even if I don't agree with everything about it."

  The Valkyrie stared at the captain, surprised by the man's character. She wondered if what she saw at Salva the first time, negotiating with the leaderless militia, was an isoted example. However, the man was a compromiser and a peacemaker. Always consider another point of view and find a satisfying solution. Some think it is a weakness or unprincipled, willing to compromise on what others consider evil. While there were times that could be true, she believed no one should ever surrender their core beliefs. But being pure only brings the opposite issue that everyone becomes the enemy, like The Unity.

  "But I will say this," Ryder said. "You still said that there is some level of svery in some manner. My people could compromise on motuia as I see its benefits; however, there is no way we can compromise on that subject. You brought us here to end extremism, and that is one we will not defend."

  "I am okay with that," Natilite said. "I could have spoken better before; I do oppose svery. I have seen the horrors it can bring."

  "For now," Ryder said. "We can agree on that. Now, let's catch up."

  *****

  Laying on a small foliage-covered ridge, Sergeant Benjamin Ford watched his feed from the helmet VISOR.

  On the journey here, their Tempr guild discovered tracks that led them here. When Comanche got close to the possible area where the Toriffa soldiers should be, they deployed the mini drone to avoid walking into ambush. It did not take long before the drone found the enemy camp, tucked away within a gap in the hillside.

  From the feed, he saw a dozen J'avais soldiers doing minuscule tasks. Some were eating, preparing weapons, or napping. Two males were tired against a post, while another was forced into a melee match for sport. The two female Kitsune were forced to dance as entertainment for the Toriffa pack. Among the packs was a Neko and Kitsune in simir armor.

  Surprised to see only one race, Ford headed to the Valkyrie, sitting next to Ryder and King. "Natilite. Why are there mostly J'avais in the group? I was expecting mixed units like we faced with the Aristocracy."

  "Because this is a pack," Natilite said. "In the lower echelons, militaries have more humongous packs. They're meant to be a more tactical wing of a typical Order."

  "What about the Neko and Kitsune?" Ford asked. "Do you think the Kitsune betrayed the vilge?"

  "It is common for military parties to use Nekos as scouts," Natilie answered. "With the Kitsune, I doubt he was part of that vilge. Kitsunes are not natural warriors, so it is surprising to see one here. Most likely, he is from a rival vilge."

  "Do you think they are the ones we are looking for?" King asked.

  "Yes." Natilite pointed toward the screen. "I recognize the patch. Plus, the kitsunes are a big clue."

  Higgins leaned forward. "Is this part of your motuia?"

  "Not even close," Natilite said. As I said, there is a purpose and rules behind the institution. This is just cruel."

  "Are you saying this never happens because of a contract?" Higgins asked.

  "Are you telling me that people in your world do not do unethical things, regardless of ws?" Natilite asked.

  "I will grant you that," Higgins said.

  "Knock it off, you two," Ryder said. "This is the pn. Rommel, take your team and head to this ridge. My team will fnk from the right from that bush line. Once you get their attention, we will fnk. Speed is the key, as we don't know who else is out here."

  "It should take us ten minutes to get into position," King said.

  "That should be fine," Ryder said. "Everyone understands? Yes, good. Roll out."

  Comanche split into two teams and stealthily moved into position.

  The captain's team moved down the slope and headed into a brush head for cover. Benjamin Ford felt like he was in training again. He crawled through the dirt and scraped past bush branches as he got into position.

  "Why do we have to crawl like this?" Fraeya asked.

  Ford turned to the Elf Girl, pcing his index figure over his mouth. He then whispered, "Keep your voice down. We are crawling because we don't want to be noticed."

  Sergeant First Css Gregory Barrett spoke through TEAMCOM. "No talking, you two. If there is a problem, hang back."

  "Sorry," Fraeya said.

  The team continued to crawl under, reaching the edge of the foliage. Ford saw the enemy camp. Two J'avais were nearby, singing as the two female kitsunes were forced to dance provincially. The other hostiles were scattered, most out of sight from their position.

  "Hold position," Ryder said through TEAMCOM.

  Wondering why they stopped, Ford accessed his HUD through his silver VISOR to see what the hold was up. As he searched, he noticed the bars at zero, meaning they were completely cut off from DEFNet, and only local connections were avaible for squads to communicate. This was expected as they were too far from the Temple. While on Earth, the military had grown used to having modern technological wonder imaginable; however, they always prepared their forces to operate without the toys, as every system could fail at any moment. This must be simir to how armies fought before the digital revolution.

  The Sergeant saw on his HUD that team two was not in a position yet. Through TEAMCOM, it was reported that they ran into rougher terrain and needed a few additional minutes to reach their objective.

  Hearing a scream, Ford saw one of this kitsune girl's trips and fell into the Toriffa Neko. The cat humanoid groped the girl and then pushed her back to the other so she could continue to dance. However, his ears perked suddenly, and he gnced in their direction.

  Noticing the Neko, Ford lowered himself as far as he could. This was more out of reaction than a consent choice, as he did not want to be spotted.

  The Neko took several steps toward them as the beast humanoid looked around. His ears flexed, almost as if he were homing in on them.

  Ford struggled to understand how the beast heard them, as he thought they were being careful. Studying the ears and understanding cats on Earth showed they had superior hearing to humans. This could mean they were more sensitive than they were trained to be.

  Seeing that the Neko was staring in their direction, he could see its eyes focusing on the foliage covering the team. The Neko then turned as a J'avais was calling for him. The humanoid beast took one st look in their general direction before returning to the camp.

  "That was too close," Barret said.

  "Nekos have excellent hearing," Fraeya said.

  "I see why they use them as scouts," Ford said.

  "Alright, Comanche," Ryder said. "Spread out. The Rommel team is ready. Fraeya, when I give the order, can you shake the ground?"

  "I can do that," Fraeya said. "However, its effectiveness won't encompass the entire camp. I am not skilled enough for that range."

  "That is okay," Ryder said. "After that, use whatever spell you think is best."

  Seeing a better firing position, Benjamin Ford slowly moved toward the left. From there, he could remain in cover while targeting the enemy and, when the time came, quickly exit out of the foliage and advance.

  As the ready message appeared on Ford HUD, Rommel King's team opened fire from the ridgeline on the other side of the camp. Two J'avais were killed in the opening volley. The rest of the pack quickly reacted, spreading out as they grabbed their energy-staff weapons and started firing toward the ridge side.

  The team captain gave the order, and Fraeya started chanting as her hands glowed green. Before she could finish her spell, the Neko looked toward them and fired some sidearm-like weapon toward the female Wood Elf. A smaller energy bolt came from the gun and impacted near them as the creature was firing blind.

  Ford broke from his cover and fired his M31 at the Neko, killing the beast humanoid.

  Three other J'avais turned to engage the fnking Comanche soldiers. Fraeya finished her spell and pced her hands on the ground. The ground lightly shook, causing the nearby Toriffa soldiers to stop firing as they focused on rebancing themselves.

  "Comanche, advance," Ryder ordered.

  Ford left this cover and walked forward. He saw an enemy soldier recovering from the quake spell and aimed his staff weapon. The Sergeant fired three shots at the enemy soldier and killed the human.

  Seeing an additional J'avais take center stage, he had a faintly glowing dark sword and a long shield with a bck glowing crystal in the center.

  Ford understood what was happening. These human weapons were modified with enchanted crystals, probably giving the shield a more vital hardening ability and the sword a more deadly bde.

  As the J'avais charged forward, Ford fired. When the 6.8mm impacted the hostile shield, it glowed dark as it deflected the bullet.

  The Toriffa soldier suddenly stopped as a light blue ice breeze bsted the enemy soldier. His shield arm locked up, and he could not move half his body. Ford aimed and killed the enemy soldier.

  After neutralizing all the nearby hostiles, he turned to the Elf Girl and gave her a thumbs-up, showing that she had done an excellent job backing him up. She cpped her hands together with joy and smiled.

  "Go protect the prisoners," Ford said.

  "On it," Fraeya said.

  Benjamin Ford returned to the battle and advanced with the rest of the team. He saw the firefight between the remaining Toriffa soldiers and Rommel King's team bunkered down on the short ridge line.

  Seeing that they were about to be fnked, one of the J'avais grabbed one of the male prisoners and used him as a shield, holding a sword against its back, backing away to what remained of the Toriffa pack as they retreated.

  "Hold position," Ryder ordered. "Keep your aim on the target but hold fire."

  Struggling to find a shot, Ford noticed the winged Tempr emerging from the ridgeline.

  Natilite jumped and flew down toward the J'avais. She rammed against the J'avais side, knocking the Kitsune free. She then grabbed the hostage and flew away.

  This removed any protection the enemy had, and the team opened fire. One by one, the st remaining Toriffa soldiers fell.

  "Make sure they are dead," Barret ordered. "Gonzales, check the hostages."

  Ford and Higgins rushed toward the remaining Toriffa soldiers, rifles ready. When they reached the bodies, Ford poked one with the barrel and confirmed that there was no movement.

  "They are dead," Ford said.

  Rommel King walked through the camp. "Alright, Comanche; search the area for anything of value, and let's get out of here. Barrett, that is your responsibility. Forest, you, Fraeya, and Gonzales prep those prisoners for extraction."

  Comanche Sergeant First Css came over and directed Higgins to take sentry duty and Benjamin Ford to search the area.

  Swinging his rifle over his shoulder so the weapon would attach to the magnetic locking mechanism to secure the weapon on his battle suit back, Ford headed to a group of tents. Over to the left, he witnessed the Twins searching many dead bodies for goodies. Walce pulled out some coins and looked at them as if they were treasure hunters. To his right were Ryder and King, probably discussing the battle and seeing if there were new lessons they should take away.

  That was when Ford passed the Tempr, Natilite. She finished wiping the blood off her sword and putting it away. While he was impressed by her skill as a swordswoman, he realized that with her wings, she would be an excellent marksman—able to move to pces that could give her an exceptional and unexpected firing position.

  "Hey, Natilite," Ford said. "Can I ask you a question?"

  Natilite turned to the Sergeant with a smile. "I will be happy to answer anything."

  Barrios approached and pced his arm over Ford's shoulder, pointing to the Valkyrie and eyeing her body. "Then I have a question for you, sweetheart."

  "Expect for that," Natilite calmly stated.

  Barrios ughed. "You are lying."

  "I do not lie," Natilite replied. "But as a woman, I can change the rules when it benefits me. If you do not like it, I dare you to stop me." She then kissed her right hand and waved it away.

  Barrios ughed, commenting that she had won that round, and returned to Walce.

  Ford was shocked at how well she handled him. Many women would have been offended by his directness, yet she blew him off without issue. "I take it that happens to you a lot?"

  "More than I would like," Natilite said. But I learned to enjoy it. After all, I have been a warrior for decades, which comes with the position, so I had to learn to deal with male humor. Once you understand that most of the time, they are just testing you to see how I would react, I learned to enjoy the game—assuming they can keep up with me."

  "Make sense," Ford said. He turned to the Twins and chuckled. "If you have a sense of humor, you will fit in pretty well."

  Then, what the Tempr said regarding her age clicked. Ford turned back to her and asked, "Decades? You look very young to be in your forties?"

  Natilite looked toward the sky and giggled. "I do not know what rules you have on your world regarding the opposite sex, but asking a dy her age is considered rude."

  Benjamin Ford looked at her with an embarrassed look. He then gnced away as he struggled to find the words. "I am sorry. I did not mean to imply."

  The Valkyeir pced her hand by her mouth and giggled. "As I said, I enjoy the games as long as they can keep up with me."

  That was when Ford realized that the woman pyed him. He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess I have never been good with those types of games."

  "Now," Natilite said. "You said you had a question?"

  "Yes, I did," Ford replied. "I saw you fly down from the ridge. You are an effective swordswoman, but why don't you use a range weapon? We have seen the enemy utilize ranged weapons as a primary form of combat, yet you stick with the sword. Is that part of some code?"

  The Tempr chuckled before responding, "No such code restricts us to melee weapons. I had sniper circiletum before my defeat at Salva. I took it off a dead Unity soldier long ago. It had rails beside the circles, giving it a powerful punch and superior range."

  "I had a feeling," Ford said. "Something told me being a Valkyrie makes you a natural sniper."

  Natilite looked toward him with a surprised but approving look. "That is very observant, Benjamin. Most Valkyries choose one of the two extremes. We train in the art of swordsmanship because of our speed, but we also learn to be proficient marksmen."

  "What happened?"

  The Tempr seemed hesitant to respond. She closed her eyes and looked away. "When I was defeated in Salva, they took it. I have yet to find a repcement."

  That was when Gregory Barrett arrived. "I overheard your conversation. We could issue you a sniper," he said.

  "Thank you," Natilite said. "I considered it; however, I prefer our type of projectiles."

  "I get it," Ford said. "You're waiting for the most expensive option."

  Benjamin Ford headed toward the tents and started going through the supplies. Most didn't seem to be worth anything, including coins, rations, etc. He did find one of the communication devices that they found in Salva.

  He picked it up and headed toward Barret. "Hey Greg, I found one of these. It looks like one of those old button's old cell phones."

  Barrett took the device and looked it over. "That is not good. I wondered what it was like to have a phone without apps. I am a bit envied."

  The Sergeant First Css then turned to the Airmen. "Charlie, I have a toy for you. Learn everything you can about it."

  Seeing Barrett hand, the communication device to the Comanche communications expert, Ford noticed Rommel King approaching the team.

  "Alright, everyone," King said. "Wrap it up. We are leaving."