"Hearts and minds. Hearts and minds. Command constantly repeated that to us soldiers stationed in the occupied areas. My brother was pulled off Remnora when the Espica Province fell, but I was left behind. I wouldn't get another combat drop or deployment on Remnora, but I was with the occupation force. The Espica Provincial Police Department hated us, but worked with us. The people hated us and made sure we knew it. But I tried to do my duty. I didn't hate anyone on Remnora. They were victims of the governments; both Remnoran and Imperial. I always wished that I could go back and fix the mistakes I made during the occupation though. There'd be things I'd do differently."

Vigilance 24, 960 ISY
Remnora II
Espica Province

Sergeant Isaiah Welhan

I would much prefer being stuck on a more relaxing duty. Hell, I'd much rather be anywhere but god damned Remnora at this point. Two weeks of being stuck in Espica, at a checkpoint in the center of the city grew tiresome. As a Drop Trooper, we were supposed to be on the front lines of the war, but here we were acting as checkpoint guards. And we couldn't wear our helmets now either because it's too "dehumanizing", which would make it easier for an attacker to justify killing one of us. Instead we have to wear these stupid black berets that clearly mark us as Drop Troopers with a gold emblem at the front. And Command had us disarm down to just a pistol, as if that'd make an occupation easier if we run into trouble.

Thankfully, Command saw fit to pull us off the checkpoints in the city, apparently realizing that we are almost useless in the city and playing security. For that, I could thank them. However, we were put on the provincial patrols, actually riding through the countryside of the Espica Province, checking for insurgent activity, and discussing issues with Remnorans that actually spoke to us. Providing translation, the Espica Provincial Police would have an officer accompany us.

Compared to the Origenes vehicle that we had been stuck in, it is nice to be back in the Skirmishers. In fact, Command even gave me a heavy Skirmisher for the patrols. It could hold about eight soldiers comfortably. With four, plus one police officer, we had plenty of room. The turret on top is even fully enclosed and well protected. The vehicle though is just… large. It makes the Skirmisher somewhat unwieldy, and not optimal for the Remnoran country roads, but most people will move aside for me to pass.

Our patrol for today would take us east from Espica, along the Rop'que River on Highway R-10. The R-10 is a planet-spanning highway, going east to west across the northern hemisphere of Remnora. With the few oceans, there is a land route the whole way. The highway starts and ends in Espica. For this patrol, we're only going up to 300 miles east on the highway, checking the towns that are next to it for any activity. The Rop'que weaves through a mountain valley after about 40 miles east, and that valley and its forests are optimal for any sort of resistance to the occupation. That's our main goal. The Army had its own patrols in the flatlands. Specialized units patrol the rougher terrain.

"Welcome to the Rop'que Valley." Trooper Bramson said as the Skirmisher bounced slightly over a bridge expansion joint. Bramson is our provincial police liaison, and he actually seems to be somewhat pro-Imperial. "Exit 64 will take us to the town of Emmaus. It's a town of about… ten thousand or so, biggest one in the valley. Now's a good time to take a quick ride and stop if you needed food or something. I know they're not against the Empire. They'll probably be fine with you if you just act politely."

Trooper Bramson is about what one would expect from a provincial officer. The wolf is large, probably about six foot three, and weighs just short of 300 pounds if I had to guess. That's a bit heavier than the average Remnoran, and it mostly went to the musculature. He looks grizzled, and it's certainly not just the grey fur. If he were a threat, I'd actually be somewhat intimidated. But since he's our liaison, I assume that he won't be a threat, or won't immediately be a threat.

"That's a bit of a relief." I said. To drive into a town and not get shot at immediately. That's a great thing and an experience that I would welcome. As for food, well, it's a good thing my implant was updated with the native language. I think my complaint about needing translators constantly got the attention of Command. There's only so many pro-Imperial individuals on a planet. "We staying on the 10 when we get through here?"

"Nah. If we stick on the Federal 310, we can do a ride through some of the mountains and end up at R-10 again." Bramson said.

I wish I knew what these highways actually are, and where they go. Believe it or not, I am not well versed in Remnoran highways and backroads. "Can we even fit down those backroads?"

Bramson only laughed at the question. "We can fit a truck down them, so we can fit this li'l thing. Don't worry about that. Just worry about what might be up there. These parts tend to be somewhat… well, off. They don't like the Remnoran government, let alone the Imperial. I think we'll be fine though. We go into town, talk to people, and act normal and I think they'll talk to people in the mountains about us."

"You're saying there'd be a network from the town to possible hostiles?" I asked. It seemed like a stupid question after I asked it.

"Well yeah. How do you think they keep in touch without having to go all the way into town? You never been in the mountains before?" Bramson asked, and I could sense that he found me amusing. He knows I am a Welhan, so naturally it's safe to assume I haven't been in the countryside of any planet.

"Honestly, no. Not like this." I admitted.

"Then you're in for something new." Bramson said.

At the speed the Skirmisher drove, we took about thirty minutes before reaching Exit 64. Bramson still figured that, with the signs posted to warn me of the approaching exit, I needed to be told how to drive. I held my tongue as I pulled off the highway and started down the off-ramp. At the bottom I saw a few civilian vehicles pass by. Out here in the valley, aside from the large military vehicle exiting the highway, everything seemed to just be business as usual. I could see the appeal in not being a major military target.

I made a left at the bottom of the ramp to head toward the town of… something. I forgot its name already; that's how irrelevant the place is. It's also odd considering that the Remnorans drive on the left side, while the rest of the Empire is on the right. Once I made the turn, I saw the sign that welcomed us to Emmaus. A bridge crossed the Rop'que River, and the town sat on the flat area on the opposite side. With the clouds in the sky and the light snowfall, it almost felt idyllic. Nevertheless, I also had to remind myself that I am in somewhat hostile territory, lest I let my guard down too far.

The bridge, though it's metal, creaked loudly under the extra weight of the heavy Skirmisher. It only weighs about five tons, so the creaking worried me. Bramson said that they sent trucks down this route, and I know that he meant the big trucks. I questioned that now with the creaking on the bridge. Maybe he is just mistaken, or mixed up the routes. Or, more likely, this bridge is just poorly maintained and that's why it creaked under the weight of the truck.

A slight bounce once I reached the other side of the bridge confirmed that I am in the town properly. The first thing I noticed is that all the buildings looked a bit older. Brick, glass, and metal dominated. The roads, while relatively well cared for, also remained paved with asphalt rather than modern materials. It has the small town look either way. Of course, a military vehicle driving through the town attracted attention, and I could see people staring at us as we drove by.

"Ever have that feeling we're about to get shot at?" Raimo said in the back.

I wouldn't vocalize it, but something did feel very wrong. My stomach ached, and my head pounded with a headache. That rarely ever happened, and I usually could sense if something was coming. "No. I don't." I lied. I didn't want to cause more panic than necessary, especially if it ended up being nothing.

"Here. You could park here if you wanted to stop. The 310 can be a long route with not much down it." Bramson said, pointing at a little corner diner, as we stopped at what appeared to be really the only light in the town. "May as well win a few hearts and minds by be… well, normal. There's been Republic troops that do the same thing. Why not give it a try?"

Something told me it'd be a trap, but he had a point. I would have asked for the opinions of the squad, but I am in command. And actual, hot food would be nice for once. Food on base wasn't bad but it lacked in… well, everything. Once the light above signaled that we could continue I made the right turn into the diner's parking lot. After circling the building once, I decided to park parallel to the fence at the back, so I'd just have to pull out and make a right to head back down our route.

I let everyone else climb out first before swinging open my own door, and hitting the lock button as I climbed out. While the squad and Bramson walked in, I went around the Skirmisher to check every door and possible entrance. The last thing I wanted was to go in, and come back to a missing vehicle, or one broken into. They had to get inside to steal the machinegun, so I am hardly worried about that.

Satisfied that nothing would go too wrong, I adjusted my uniform. Also part of these patrols, Command left us wearing the black uniforms, with a simple armored vest over top, and a pistol on the hip. All our vests had a patch on them signifying our ranks, just in case the enemy didn't know who to shoot first. And, of course, we had to wear the even stupider berets. I suppose if this wins hearts and minds by being completely vulnerable, then it's something. They did get me a headset and HUD that actually sort of worked, but it still lacked Battlenet capability and the local maps. Everyone else had the normal headsets, which worked on a local network. I had one that actually went to Command if needed.

"I'll be in in a bit. Read off the menu for me and keep a seat. I need to get a map." I said while I walked to the corner and looked around. The gas station is directly across the street, on the south side of this cross street. I should have stopped here first, but, well the Skirmisher didn't run on any such fuels and I certainly don't mind walking a bit. With no vehicles coming in any direction, I started walking across the road. I fully expected someone to come speeding down and hit me, but as I set foot on the sidewalks on the other side of the road, I was pleasantly surprised. I still felt something was off though. Maybe it's just being in a small town.

Only one truck sat fueling, and I glanced at the fox. He looked like the typical small town resident. I gave a slight nod, and he actually returned it. There was no need to exchange words, so that small exchange of pleasantries would do. I told Bramson I had never been in the mountains, and that is true, but some of the villages and towns around Frostfall Palace are much the same as this one, and the people seemed similar at least.

Stepping into the actual store, it smelled like a typical country store. And by that, I mean it smells very old. The lighting is a bit dimmer than I had expected, but it is by no means dark. I just needed a map of the valley. Near the door, I noticed a spinning rack with a variety of maps on it. Nothing like having to buy your maps from a gas station in a warzone.

"They offered us an 'Imperial menu'." Raimo said, even laughing a bit. "Yeah, they only just got to us and it's almost empty here. Looks like your average heart attack menu though. What do you want?"

I don't much trust them to not to ruin something ordered, so it'd be best to go with something they can't actually mess up. I tapped my headset, since I could activate the microphone with a thought now, and said, "Bread and a coffee. It'll keep me going until we get back to base."

"How bland." Raimo said. "Alright, will do. How's the hunt for a treasure map?"

I thought about that as I picked out one of the maps. Thanks to downloading the native language to my translation implant, along with all the other fun mind altering effects of the new language, I could actually read the maps and its written text without a problem. If nothing else, the numbers are the same. I settled on three different maps of a couple different parts of the Rop'que Valley. All of them appear to be zoomed enough to make them useable… if I also know how far I go while driving. Either way, they're only about a dollar each. I made sure to get some of my Imperial credits turned into the Remnoran dollars just so I didn't have to deal with such issues later.

With the maps in hand I walked over to the counter and set them down. The cat behind the counter looked at them, and simply said, "Twenty." It came out in the native language, so I let my implant do my work for me.

"Bullshit." I said. "They're clearly marked for a dollar each." For emphasis, I even pointed at the number on the stickers on the front of the maps. When they seemed unrelenting, I grabbed all three maps up and threw down a five dollar bill. Before they could argue, I walked right out of the store. They were lucky I was even paying, when I could just take it legally.

Once outside, I looked around again. Everything seemed clear, and I could see the Skirmisher wasn't bothered while I was inside. That's a good thing. Bramson stood outside, talking on his phone. He probably had to keep in contact with the department. I moved quickly to cross the street and then climbed up the steps into the diner all in about two minutes. I am in a bit of a rush of course. Really, this stop was entirely unplanned.

Inside the diner, the scent of fresh food hit me, as well as the bit of conversation between Raimo and Masako. It seemed to be… spirited. A third voice joined in at times, and I assumed that that's the staff of the diner. In the background, I could hear the voice of a reporter for one of the Remnoran news channels. Whatever they were saying is certainly going to be irrelevant since it'll have a very strong pro-government slant, and a clear anti-Imperial one.

"…So in the end, I think that this war could have been avoided entirely. Algagi's reasoning is still unknown. You can't say that it was justified." Raimo said in the native tongue. I knew none of them had the translation implant I had, and the native tongue does require certain physical traits to speak natively.

The feline waitress at the counter did nod at the remark. "It's a bid for independence. It was poorly handled, I'll concede that, but wouldn't you want to be free?" After the sentence she looked toward me. "Oh, apologies. I guess you're the toast and coffee?" I gave a nod myself. "Alright that'll be done in a minute Mister…"

"Isaiah." I said.

"Your last name is Isaiah?" The waitress asked with a look of amusement.

I shook my head with a bit of a smile. I realized how ridiculous that did sound. "No, but I'd rather not state my last name."

That made her actually laugh. "Why? It's not like you're a Welhan or something." I managed to hide any reaction to that. "Anyway, it'll be up soon."

"Independence seems to be a rallying cry for the lazy though." Masako said. "The Empire has never meddled in the affairs of the Republic until… well, now."

"Do you understand them?" Bran finally asked me.

"Not at all." I said. It's only a partial lie. While I understand them, I still don't see why this is up for debate. Is Remnoran propaganda so powerful that even after making the first strike, the people still support this fight under the guise of independence? There might be a lesson in the implications of such ability.

The feline waitress set the toast down, as well as a pot of coffee and a mug with a smile. "It's not lazy. The Republic has been subordinate to the Empire for centuries. Imagine if it were reversed."

I wanted to laugh at that remark, but I knew Masako and Raimo didn't know I could understand the language, so they are speaking candidly for once to another person. I won't stop that. I kept listening as I poured the cup of coffee. A sip at it made it very clear that this is the cheap stuff. Remnoran quality, I suppose, means that it is basically a tar rather than a drinkable… drink.

"So, what's the plan then?" Bran asked as Bramson walked back in. Bran took a look back, and I could sense he was curious about that.

"Well, I know we're going into the countryside again." I said, then looked over to Bramson. "I trust everything is alright? You were out there for a while."

The question took Bramson by surprise, and I could sense a… fear? Very strange. "Oh, yeah, it's fine. Had to call ahead. There's a checkpoint on the 310." I sensed a lie in that, but I would't press the issue.

"Anyway, Bran," I said, looking back to the white bear, "we're heading up the 301 once we're done here. It's a backroad. I am sure if anything is in the area, it'll be up there. At least, I hope that's the case."

"And if it's not?" Bran asked.

"Then we keep going without a problem. So I am hopeful that we don't run into anything." I said. Sure, it made me sound weak and scared, but who really wants to be in combat? And yet, here I am, as a soldier after willingly joining the Army.

Bran was quiet for a little while. When he finally spoke up again, about a minute had passed. "Isaiah, can I speak with you outside?"

I gave a nod and looked to the waitress. "We'll be right back. Taking the coffee with me." She said something along the lines of that not being a problem if I came back. With the coffee and toast in hand, I followed Bran out of the diner.

Outside, Bran looked around and then stopped at the corner of the diner. "Something is off." He said. "I know you know something is wrong."

I sipped from the coffee. "Of course I do. I have felt something being wrong since we got off the highway. Why do you mention it? Did you notice something?" I asked, stopping to take a bite of the flavorless burned bread that is more 'charred' than 'toasted'.

"Bramson is acting odd." Bran said. "Do you actually trust him?"

"No." I said. "He's lying about something. I don't know what."

"What of Raimo?" Bran asked next.

Now that was the good question. Raimo has been a good soldier since we invaded, and he has carried out my orders without an issue. I took a long drink from the coffee as I thought over that. He obviously has some Remnoran sympathies, but I think he's still loyal to the Empire. But is he? That's truly the question. I may have to do something much more… invasive to know for sure that he's loyal.

"Raimo I think has the best interests of the Empire in mind." I said, not even fully sure if I believed that myself. "He's young and a bit foolish, but he'll come around. My issue is the officer, but I think we both agree on this."

"If something happens then, you won't be against me handling the officer accordingly?"

"If he proves to be untrustworthy, you're clear to handle them as you see fit. How does that sound?"

"It will do." Bran nodded. "Let's head back in before we cause too much suspicion from someone.

I led the way back into the diner, and sat down. After finishing the coffee, and after everyone had enough of their conversation, the five of us returned to the Skirmisher. The seats mixed up a bit. Bran moved to the front with me, while Bramson and Raimo had the back seats, and Masako stood on the turret. I relented to this set up to put Bramson in an odd position should something happen, and make sure Bran is in a position to react to anything that happened, if anything happened.

The ride out of the town, following the directions that Bramson gave me from the backseat, took longer than I expected. I figured that was more because of it being a new area and roads I don't know, but eventually we pulled out onto a curving road that traced through the hills. The maps I had bought I set on the dashboard of the Skirmisher. When we reached an open area, I reached forward and handed the map of Emmaus and its surround area to Bran.

"What route are we on?" I asked him after he took the map from me.

I kept driving in relative silence as Bran went through the large unfolded map to find where we are now. I didn't want to be too overt with not trusting Bramson, but it had to be done. If we're on this supposed '310', then we'd be fine. If we're anywhere else… well, there'd be some problems. I really don't want to be lost in the mountains even with a map. As I made a turn around a blind corner, I didn't have time to reconsider just stopping and turning around, and Bran couldn't give me the route number.

A roadblock in front of us forced me to hit the brakes, but we still got hit with a rocket in the front. The blast hit the frontal armor of the Skirmisher and bent the front-end out of shape, but the engine still ran. Another hit to the front would definitely be disabling, and then we'd have to evacuate on foot in definitely hostile territory.

'Masako, fire!' I shouted at her mentally as I pushed the transmission into reverse and tried to back up, at least out of the immediate kill zone. "Bravo Five to Command, we're taking f-" My report was cut off by the second rocket. As expected, it hit the engine. The explosion of the engine, and the force of the blast, threw the Skirmisher back further. The metal guardrails that protected against a vehicle falling down the cliff that was on the right gave away under the weight and force of the Skirmisher impact.

Time seemed to slow as the Skirmisher rolled and flipped down the hill. Raimo, Bran, and myself all buckled in earlier, so we were stuck for the ride. Bramson hit the roof of the Skirmisher and was thrown around as we went downhill. Masako had little restraint in the turret, but she didn't seem to be getting thrown around. I just hoped that she wouldn't get hurt whenever we came to a stop.

After what felt like minutes, though probably was just seconds, the Skirmisher slammed into the ground. After impact, we rolled still a bit further before coming to a sudden stop upside down. Judging from what little bit I could see, it seemed that we hit a tree that is hardier than our own Skirmisher. I put an arm out to try to brace myself as I hit the button to release my belt. Despite that, I still fell out of my seat and slammed my head into the hard metal roof of the vehicle. Bran unbuckled himself next, though he dropped more softly since he already barely fit into the vehicle.

"We probably only have a few minutes to get out of here." I said as I turned myself around so I was right side up again, and not completely disoriented. "Raimo, Masako, are you two alright?"

Raimo was first to respond. "Yeah. Little shaken up, but fine." He said. I looked back to see him checking on Masako. "Looks like Masako got knocked out, but nothing looks hurt on her."

"Good enough. Bran, your direction is the downhill. What do you see?" I asked while keeping my balance.

"A stream it looks like." Bran said. "We going to drop down?"

"Can't with Masako in her current state." I said. If she were awake, I wouldn't be as worried about moving her, but right I couldn't risk hurting her further.

Above me, my door was torn open and I felt strong hands on my uniform before I could even look. Whoever had grabbed me threw me onto the top side of the Skirmisher. A small group had already made it down the hill, and all had concealed faces. A few laser shots fired up out of the Skirmisher, likely from Bran's pistol, and one grazed one of the Remnorans in the face. Even with the grazing hit, the Remnoran fell down, screaming in agony.

I had only a moment to respond, and I reached for my pistol. Likely the same one that had pulled me out of the Skirmisher kicked the pistol away. The kick splayed my arm out to the side, but I couldn't pull it back fast enough to prevent the hard stomp from the Remnoran above. The downward force slammed my forearm into a ridge in the Skirmisher's armor. Had it been harder, I am sure it would have broken. It still hurt, and I screamed out in pain. I still tried to escape. It's all I could do.

Instead, I caught a glimpse of a rifle stock coming toward me, and then everything went black.

Unknown Location

I couldn't tell how much time had passed. All I knew as I opened my eyes is that everything is dark. I still felt dizzy. My head throbbed with pain, and my ears rung in that annoying tone. Something felt very off though. I could feel more things around me. My eyes started to adjust to the light, and I realized it's really just a very blurred vision. A lantern hung above me, and that provided a good amount of light. I still couldn't see much beyond a foot or two, but I could make out what looked like a makeshift cell. Great.

"You're awake. Good." A voice said. "Here we started to think we killed you. That wouldn't have been good." I mumbled something out. It was supposed to be "where am I", but it ended up as articulated as a toddler's speech. Worse, actually. It was just mumbling with no form to it. "What was that?" The person asked, and then laughed. "No matter. You have plenty of time. Sound it out next time."

As I tried to push myself at least to my feet, I feel forward again and didn't realize it until I hit the ground. Everything felt wrong, and I had no idea how I gotten here. I only vaguely could remember the Skirmisher being hit with a rocket, but nothing more than that. I laid on the ground for some time before I finally started to feel… less disoriented. Whatever had happened couldn't have been good.

Nothing had changed, and I had no idea how long I had laid there staring at the ground, but I rolled onto my back. My vision remained doubled and moved about, and it is blurry still, but I sat up slowly and carefully. As I sat up, I swayed slightly, but managed to keep some control as I did so.

"Where am I?" I managed to say, this time with actual words, slurred as they came out. I had no idea who I was saying it to, as I could only sort of see a rock wall a few feet away.

"Captured." I heard a voice say. I think it was Bran, but I couldn't know for sure. "It's about time you're awake."

"What happened?" I said as I tried to stand up.

"Ambushed, captured, thrown in here." Bran said. I could tell it was him now. "That damned officer sold us out."

Officer? As I stumbled forward and caught myself on the rock wall, I tried to go through what I could remember. The headache didn't help my attempting to figure out what happened, but I did recall the officer. Espica Provincial police. Bramson. That was the name. I only remembered because his name reminded me of Bran. It also made sense that he caused this. I had my doubts. I vaguely recall him being on the phone some time before the cutoff of what I remember.

"Where are we now?" I asked again, hoping for a better answer.

"Couldn't say for sure. We were blindfolded." Bran said. "Haven't seen Masako and Raimo. We're in a cave though. No idea where. Cages are pretty rickety. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell." I said. "I probably look it too, don't I?"

"Actually, no. They know you're royalty. That's a ransom, so they haven't beaten on you. Not that I've seen anyway." Bran said.

I turned around and leaned back against the rock wall. Even with the relative darkness, I saw Bran to the left, through the makeshift cages. My vision is starting to come back, but I had no idea how long it would take, or just what is wrong with me. As the vision cleared, I saw what he meant by 'rickety'. The wooden cages look old and would probably break with a solid hit. I knew Bran could do that "solid hit". If he waited for me to wake up before attempting anything, I can certainly appreciate that consideration.

"So what's the plan?" I asked as I stood there.

"I can probably smash the cells down." Bran said. "From there, we'd have to locate Raimo and Masako, then find the exit. I have a feeling it'll be more difficult than it seems."

"Of course it'll be more difficult than it seems." I said. I could have sworn that he's spent the last month or so with me. Nothing has been easy. Just varying amounts of fucking tedious.

"Right. Think you can handle it?" Bran asked.

"Worst case scenario is that we get caught, but I am sure that you can punch out pretty much any Remnoran." I said. I pushed myself off the wall, and I still managed to stay somewhat stable. The pain in my head remained, but it's preferable to not being able to move properly. "Let's do it if you're up for it."

Bran didn't way a word. At one moment, it was silent, but then the splintering of wood filled the air followed by the echo as it spread through the cave. I looked toward the noise and Bran had smashed through this door with seemingly no effort. The damage done to the door from the mass of a Vervortian weakened the rest of the structure. Before I could do anything, Bran kicked down the door of my cell. The door missed me by just inches. Nothing had to be said as I stepped out. Bran already started to move toward the one exit from this room that we could see.

I sensed someone coming, two people actually. "Two are coming, Bran, get ready." I projected at Bran. As soon as I told him that, he stopped at entrance to this room. While he could certainly handle both, I dropped down behind the table at the middle of the room. When the two turned the corner into the room, Bran slammed a fist into the first one. The second one almost fired, but I was on him with a psionic blast. Focusing on the brain, I lanced him with pain and emotion that forced him to his knees, screaming in pain. I didn't plan on the scream, but it did save Bran.

"Catch." Bran said. I saw him kneel down, but he still caught me by surprise. He tossed a Remnoran rifle my way, and I stopped it with a thought, making use of telekinesis. I didn't need to get hit in the face with a gun now.

"Great. So we get the shitty weapons." I said as I checked the magazine. It looked to be full. We trained with lasers and got a crash course in ballistics, so I really didn't know. "Let's keep moving."

This time, since I actually had a weapon, I took the lead. Bran's strength is only any good at close range. The halls of this cave, as we left the room, are small and poorly lit. It almost made sense. A Remnoran could get through darker halls easily enough. A Haromian or any other species? Probably not as easily. Despite the inconvenience, it's a good design choice. In what I could see, I saw wires running in a corner of the cave, probably wiring the lights in the cave together.

The hallway went on for a short distance, probably about fifty or so feet, before Bran and I stopped into a larger room with several corridors branching off. I looked at the three corridors, and I really didn't want to take a guess at which to go down. I could sense movement all over the place, most of them Remnoran. A large number, about ten from what I could sense, are in a room down the corridor to the left. Our goal is to escape, but taking a few with us would make an easier escape I am sure.

I hesitated, but I led the way down the left corridor. This one is better lit than the one Bran and I had just come down and slightly wider. Almost immediately after stepping in, I saw a metal door on the right side, open, and a few voices inside. I wouldn't try to make out what they are saying. I pressed my back against the wall and moved toward the doorway, stopping at the very edge. I looked behind me, and Bran had done the same. Peeking into the room, I saw racks of weapons. Most are Remnoran made ballistics, but there are quite a few Imperial laser weapons and one I couldn't identify. Looks like we found the armory.

"Armory. Ten inside. Move quick, take good shots." I projected at Bran. He nodded to me.

Turning the corner into the armory, time felt like it slowed. One of the Remnorans saw me enter and called it out. The rest of the Remnorans in the room turned to fire on us. There wasn't any time for aimed shots. We had to clear the armory and then escape. This would surely get the attention of the entire cave system. I simply held down the trigger of the rifle, firing it fully automatic into the group. Most of the bullets had missed, and my shoulder ached from the recoil of the ballistic weapon. Bran actually took the time to aim and he did far better than I did.

A click in the rifle told me it was empty. That was almost a blessing. I immediately picked up one of the nearby laser rifles. The cell in it had a full charge. Once I had it in hand, I felt a sting in my right side, followed by a second one. My mind hadn't registered the blasts of a weapon. When I looked to the right, one of the Remnorans laid on the floor, bleeding profusely, with a smoking pistol pointed right at me. Bran was on top of him immediately, disarming and finishing them off.

"Isaiah, are you alright?" Bran asked.

The short answer is 'no', but I still dropped to a knee in pain without saying a word. The smaller Remnoran rounds wouldn't have gotten too deep, and I don't think anything vital was hit, but the bleeding is already extreme as I put my hand over the wounds. I knew I wouldn't last long, even with the medical nanites I have, unless the bleeding could be stopped.

"Get Raimo and Masako." I said to Bran. "Then come back to get me. I need to do some sort of fix here. If you can find actual medical supplies, run then back to me."

Instead of getting a proper answer, Bran forced me to my feet and put an arm around me. "You'll end up dying here." He said while forcing me to take one of the laser pistols. "We're moving." I could still move fine, but Bran's help made it much easier. He picked up one of the laser rifles as we left the armory, heading right. "Any idea?"

"Probably the blood loss, but there might be something down this hall. I sense two people, not moving, down this way." I said. "No. More, but most aren't moving. I think they're asleep." I added on, after realizing that most weren't moving. It could be a medical area, or living quarters. I don't know.

Bran started to turn the corner in the corridor, and we were met with a spray of gunfire. The blasts of the weapon echoed loudly through the tunnels and ricocheted off the wall where we would have been standing. He peeked around the corner again and pulled back. I noticed a look of confusion on his face when he looked around the corner again. He pulled back before another bullet passed.

"Raimo! Stop fucking shooting at me!" Bran shouted.

"Oh hell. Bran? Fuck, sorry." Raimo said.

"Remind me to shoot him later." Bran said quietly to me. "I am the only damned bear on Remnora. How the hell didn't you know it was me?"

"I… fuck it. Alright, coming up." Raimo said. When he turned the corner, I saw Raimo looked… well, he could have been in better shape. His shirt is missing, and there are a few very new scars and blood matted fur. "What happened to you?" He asked me.

I wanted to punch him for that, but I am sure if Bran let me go, I'd probably collapse at this point. "Only got shot a couple times." I said. "Any idea where we can find something to treat the wounds a bit?"

"Yeah, this way." Raimo said, brushing past the two of us and heading down the corridor we had just come from. He stopped to walk into the armory. As Bran and I got to that door again, Raimo came out with the other laser rifle. "Alright, this way now. Masako was pressed into doing some medical stuff. Good for that huh?"

Neither Bran nor I said a word as we shuffled down the corridor behind Raimo. He went straight across the hub. The right corridor would have taken us back to the cells Bran and I had broken. Raimo moved quicker ahead to a three way intersection in the tunnels, glanced both ways, and then waited for us to catch up. Once we made it to the intersection, he made a left, and then a quick right into a side room.

The room that Raimo turned into, as Bran and I reached it, is the medical bay. Or at least it's what counted as one. The whole thing looked like the typical cave, but with medical equipment. Some appeared to be modern equipment from the Empire, but most is the slightly outdated Remnoran equipment. I was shuffled over to a bed at the middle of the room. Curtains could be pulled to make it private, but it's still a cave, so it's hardly sterile.

"Masako, get your ass up here." Raimo shouted as he and Bran laid me down on the table. "Isaiah was shot."

While on the table, I saw Masako appear from one of the side rooms off this main medical area. She carried a bag with her, but also had a bandage over one of her eyes. I could only imagine what the Remnorans did to her.

"At least lasers are cleaner. Just hold on." Masako said as she set the bag down on a side table. Whatever she had said slowly faded out and I couldn't make it out while everything went dark again. At least she noticed the lack of responsiveness. She started to work quicker.

The first thing I felt was a pain as I watched Masako dive into one of the bullet wounds with a pair of forceps. She jostled the bullet in one hole, and that caused me to scream. I know I did, even if I couldn't quite hear it. In trying to remove the bullet, she pulled on it rather violently to dislodge it, and I could feel something rip. That same feeling of something ripping could be felt as she pulled the bullet out entirely. When she dropped the bullet onto the table, I could see it was a hollow point round, and had turned outward on impact. I thought I could see some skin on it even.

Masako immediately went into the second hole and repeated the procedure, with about as much concern as the first one. I could respect her just trying to get them out to treat the injury, it still hurt like hell and I am sure she damaged something worse than it actually had to be. I probably could have lived with the bullets if she stopped the bleeding. Instead, I knew the bleeding got worse from removing the bullets. I could feel Masako stuffing gauze, or something, into the wounds right after, but the blood loss remained substantial. I blacked out not long after. Whether it was the pain or the blood loss, I don't know. I was just glad it was over for a little while.

I am not sure how long I was out for, but when I finally started to wake up again, I saw stars above us, and the sound of insects around us. A cold breeze blew over me, and that woke me up properly. I realized that my uniform top is gone when I moved a hand to try to cover myself a bit better. The pain in my side had mostly subsided, at least down to a throbbing instead of stinging. I started to sit up, but something moved in the bullet wound that ripped something. I let out a gasp at the pain and laid down again.

"Awake, again." Bran said. "If I knew you had such a low pain tolerance, maybe I wouldn't have saved you."

"Yeah, fuck you too." I said. "Where are we?"

"I am trying to figure that out, actually. Listen." He said. I did listen, and I could hear insects, but I also can hear the roar of a river. "The river isn't far. Do you know if it flows toward or away from Espica?"

"No idea." I said as I sat up again and forced myself to ignore the pain so that I could scoot back against a tree.

"My best guess is that we're much deeper into the Rop'que Valley than I hoped." He said. "And with three of you injured, it'll be slow going to get out of here."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" I asked. "Why aren't you hurt?"

Bran smiled and gave a guttural laugh. "Remnorans aren't evil people. They are as sapient as anyone. I took advantage of that. They tortured Raimo first, then Masako. They wanted answers. Raimo broke easily enough, so he's not as hurt. Masako got her right eye gouged out after they found out she was a sharpshooter and wouldn't answer them. So when they got to me, and even leading up to that, I acted like I had mental damage."

I blinked at that, mostly in surprise. "So the big, bad Vervortian couldn't take some pain?"

"Not if I could help it." He said, unfazed by the partial insult. "So I made myself sound and act stupid, and even responded as such to the little bit of pain inflicted. After a few tries they had enough of it and threw me into the cells with you. I figured you'd need someone to keep you alive if you woke up. For a while, we thought you were dead, or dying."

It's odd to hear him speak of protecting me, as if I needed it. I definitely appreciated having someone look after me in some way. The Imperial Guard was nice for that. But a Vervortian? I love that. They'd at least be able to smash heads, as I saw in that cave. "Well, I appreciate the thought at least. But it won't matter much if we don't get out of here. I'd have thought that the Army would be scouring these hills." I vaguely recall sending out a message to Command just before the Skirmisher was hit the second time.

"That's… true." Bran said. I could hear he at least seemed disheartened by that. "I think we're dangerously deep into the valley, with little equipment on top of that. There's a road a few dozen feet away. I found this flatter area, with bushes all around. We're pretty well concealed. If we follow that road tomorrow, we should be able to find someone."

"Which direction?" I asked. Restating it felt like making progress. All we had to do was head west, if we could find which way west is.

"No idea. We got out of the cave as the sun was setting. I lost track from there since my concern was fleeing rather than checking things like that." Bran said.

"We'll figure it out in the morning. Wake me up as soon as the light shows. Or I can stay-" I started to say I could stay up on guard, but Bran would have none of it.

Bran growled at me for that remark. "Sleep. We'll move in the morning."

I wasn't going to argue with him any further. I tried to get comfortable against the tree and closed my eyes. It didn't take very long to get back to sleep.

Escape +1
Rop'que Valley

As I said, Bran woke me up when the sun started to rise. I almost yelled at him for waking me up after sleeping very well, but I knew he was following my orders after I had a moment to wake up. The sun shined in my eyes as I opened them. I knew that the Remnoran sun rose in the west instead of the east like Haroma. Unless I slept through the day and it is dusk instead of dawn. I doubted that though. Bran still should have woken me up.

"Away from the sun?" Bran asked as I started to stand up again.

"Toward. It rises in the west here." I said while I looked around. Something felt wrong. I could sense someone near us, a few people, and one had significant psionic power, but I couldn't sense anything else. "Do you feel like we're being watched?" I asked.

"Yes." Bran admitted. "But it's probably just being on this world. Are you ready to go?"

I looked around and saw Masako and Raimo just waking up. "Yeah, let's go." I looked toward the north, and saw the river below through the bushes, but also the R-10. The hill down to it seemed… somewhat traversable. It'd be a sheer drop onto the highway though. At least this road, which I could see when I looked back, seemed to go west.

Once Raimo and Masako got to their feet, the four of us started on the long westward walk. We had no idea how far away we were from… well, anything, but we had to get back to the Army. I could feel like something was wrong with myself, let alone anything around us. Bran walked fine, with Raimo and Masako behind him. I lagged behind, moving slowly lest I jostle any of the bullet pieces in me and damage myself further. Eventually Raimo dropped back to help me move a bit more quickly.

The sun slowly tracked over the sky as the four of us followed the country road. Never once did a car pass us. Around midday, at Bran's suggestion, we took a short break by sitting at the side of the road. The highway below, as we watched, had a few Army vehicles on it. Overhead a few fighters flew overhead, but never did they notice us. With the trees over this backroad, I am not surprised.

After about half an hour, if my reading the sun was right, we stood up to keep moving. I had no idea how much longer passed, but the minutes seemed to tick by ever slower as the day got later. As the forest grew darker, Bran led us off the road to locate a place to stop for the night, one that's somewhat safe. I heard, however, a vehicle coming up the road. I still had the laser pistol so I stepped into the road.

The lights of the vehicle shined on me, and I could hear the brakes squealing as it came to a stop a few inches away from me. I am sure the blood on me was part of the reasoning for stopping. I raised the laser pistol toward the driver on the right side and moved around to them. They had their hands up, and looked terrified. Good. Out of the lights, I could see now that it's a truck. Perfect.

"Out of the vehicle!" I shouted at the cat. They didn't respond, so I switched to the native language and repeated it. That made them climb out, still with hands raised, and then drop to the ground. "Where's the nearest town?" I asked in the native language.

"West! Emmaus! Just a few kilometers. Please don't kill me!" The person shouted in fear.

"Get up. We're commandeering your truck. Get in the back. You're getting the truck back once we get where we need to go." I said, this time taking a lighter tone. The cat looked up at me with fear, but also disbelief. I still had the gun on them, for intimidation, but they did stand up. "Raimo, Bran, in the back. Masako, you're up front with me." I said. The three of them moved to get into the truck. Once the cat got into the truck bed, I lowered the pistol. "Just stay calm," I told the cat, this time trying to sound friendly, "you'll be fine. Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"

They muttered something, so I took that as compliance while I climbed into the driver's seat. I immediately regretted that as I looked at the truck. I have always driven automatic transmissions. This truck, already old, also had a stick shift. Well, if we crash, at least I can say I tried. Masako opened the back window of the truck, letting me yell at the three in the back easier.

I shifted the truck into first gear and started off down the road. I knew the basics of driving a standard transmission. I spent a good hour, still trying to make it run for me right, stalling several times, and nearly hitting a tree as I went on a downhill trying to grab a gear. I was lucky not to actually hit anything. No one said a word though. We are moving at least, and that's what matters. As the cat said, when I made a right turn probably a good two hours after I got the truck, I saw the same ramps that I saw… however long ago it was that we arrived at Emmaus in the Skirmisher.

I let out a sigh of relief as I approached the bridge that crossed into Emmaus. I could make a phone call to… someone. I could probably call the government building in Espica and get routed to one of the commanders that way. I slowed down as I approached the bridge, as I saw another vehicle approaching. Before the bridge, I had to slam on the brakes before I hit a soldier waving me down with a glowing stick. I still moved forward just a bit further, and I put the window down.

"Can I see your ID please?" The soldier, human, asked.

"No." I said, acting defiant.

The soldier closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Step out of the vehicle please." I shut the truck off and stepped out on request. He noticed the black pants though, and the bandages. Or he just noticed the blood. "What's your name so we can search records?"

I smiled. "Sergeant Isaiah Auros Welhan, ID number IADT-"

He cut me off there. "I'm a fucking idiot. Holy shit it is you." They said. "That's your squad?"

I nodded. "The good man here," I indicated the cat, "stopped and let me use his truck to get back to town." Really I carjacked him, so being treated as though he saved a prince would be a just compensation I am sure.

"We'll radio command. We were about to give up on these checkpoints." The soldier finally saluted. "Welcome back sir."

Vigilance 38
Remnora II, Orbit
IHV Salvation

Once we were pulled out of the Rop'que Valley, we spent about a week at Fort Vanguard where we got debriefed. We had spent three days in the valley under capture from the Remnoran insurgents. Our location, roughly provided by Bran, allowed another team to go in and clear it properly. A few were arrested and weapons were recovered including a Geminorian made plasma rifle. That one got the attention of Command, and I only found out about it because I passed along the information. Bran apparently never noticed it. It likely wouldn't mean anything, but a Geminorian rifle getting to Remnora? That's impressive.

I also had to get a medical evacuation to the IHV Salvation, one of the handful of hospital ships that the Empire fielded. It's a comfortable ship. Apparently, the medical team at Fort Vanguard confirmed rising complications with the rushed treatment in the cave. I figured that that would be obvious. Getting bullets removed roughly in a cave is hardly "sterile" or "common sense". It kept me alive though. For that, I could thank Masako. Masako also got evacuated for a new eye, and Raimo had to have a few injuries treated. Bran, while intact, came up with us.

My injuries actually ended up being the most severe. The bullets had penetrated fairly deep despite being hollow point rounds. Being poor quality Remnoran build, the bullets broke apart after a distance, and several pieces of metal got stuck in my right kidney along with one bullet. The second bullet got stuck in the intestines and ripped it up on the way in. Masako's gauze allowed clotting, but the emergency medical care at Fort Vanguard is what kept me alive. The surgeries on the Salvation fixed the injuries with proper, advanced medical care.

"Sergeant Welhan." A Haromian at the entrance to my squad's ward said. I could see the rank chevrons of a Navy junior lieutenant on his shoulders, and he carried a briefcase in a hand. "May I come in?"

"Of course sir." I said. I knew he's an officer, so there's no reason to not be formal, even while I am laying in a bed with machines hooked up to me.

The lieutenant looked around at everyone. Bran sat in a corner, while Masako, Raimo, and myself all had beds. Being a prince, I managed to get us a smaller, though private ward. "Sergeant, with approval of Admiral Eustis, your squad are being awarded the Iron Heart medal for injuries sustained in combat. Lance Corporal Bogomolov will be receiving a promotion to Corporal, and has been nominated for the Emperor's Legion of Honor."

"That's it?" I said. The tone that came out sounded a bit more ungrateful than I had intended. In reality I didn't expect any medal, but this was certainly something worthwhile. Moreover, for Bran to possibly get the Legion of Honor? He must be proud, though I couldn't read him in that sense. "Sorry. I mean, is that all?" I corrected myself, even in tone.

The lieutenant still looked annoyed at the question, even after I corrected myself. "Emperor Welhan has also authorized leave to allow for everyone to recover from their injuries. The Salvation is about to depart for Haroma to resupply, and everyone will be allowed to depart from there for home. Thank you, all of you, for your service. I hope for a speedy recovery. I gave a halfhearted salute to the lieutenant, who returned it and then left.

"Yeah, and I still have the wrong colored eye." Masako grumbled out from her bed. In losing her eye, the cybernetics sector of the Salvation had given her a new cybernetic eye. However, while her eyes were naturally green, the new one is gold colored. I think it gave her a distinctive look personally.

"It looks good on you." I said. "Reminds me of my cat at home." I added on with a grin. Masako's growl seemed more playful than angry though. I am sure if she wasn't trying to be serious, she'd have laughed. I already had off colored eyes naturally and Masako's was accidental. My right eye is blue, and the left is green. It's a less clashing pair of colors, but still different.

Raimo seemed comfortable though, but that's mostly because he only had a few deep cuts that needed to be properly cleaned and then sealed again. He didn't need much in the way of surgery. "I always figured you'd have an exotic pet or something." Raimo said.

"Me? No. I really don't have a pet." I said. "My father keeps an eagle, but he's a bit... off sometimes."

"Yeah, I bet. Isn't your sister feline?" Raimo asked.

That was the oddity of my family, among other things. For whatever reason Remnorans and Haromians have been capable of interbreeding, usually with one or the other species having the appearance of any children of such, never a true hybrid of the two. My father is human of course, and my mother is a vulpine nobility from Remnora. I ended up primarily human in appearance, so I'd argue that I got the good genes. My sister though is a fox in appearance. And, of course, my brother is also human. It's usually not so cleanly based on gender.

"Vulpine." I corrected. "And that was almost insulting."

"Is she married?" Raimo asked, then chuckled. The audacity of the question actually made me sit up a bit straighter to stare at him.

"Yes. She is." I said. "To one of the Origenes sons." That seemed to silence Raimo. I knew was he was trying to ask, and if he pressed it a bit further I would have thrown a book at him. I had one close at hand, just in case. Knowing how cats are - especially like Raimo - I should ask for a spray bottle of water. He'd hate it, and so would Masako since she's between the two of us.

Bran remained quiet in a corner. For a while, I thought there was something wrong, but when I looked over, he had simply fallen asleep. Masako and Raimo were saying something between the two of them. Me? I am content right now. It felt good to be out of that cave, and properly fixed up. Though that is probably the painkillers that's making me feel good. Lying about the pain I felt is good for that. If I didn't know how well stocked these hospital ships were, I'd probably make a joke about my consumption of painkillers being the reason for a resupply.

Some time passed, and I took a nap, before another person came by the wards. The beep at the door woke me up. The two Haromians at the entrance wore solid black suits with sunglasses. They also had a scowl that screamed "government". If I didn't know a government worker at glance... well, I'd be bad royalty. These two had "government" written all over them with giant neon signs flashing that over them. I would question how they got on a hospital ship, but, again, government.

"Sergeant Welhan. Good afternoon." Agent One said. I identified him as "one" because he's the first to speak. "We are with the IPIA."

"Imperial Pale..." I started to say, trying to make up some sort of name for an alcohol or just a joke at their expense. The IPIA is the Imperial Psionics Integration Administration. I really don't want to deal with them right now. "No, I got it. Intimidating People Interrogating Animals?"

"Sergeant. This is a serious matter." Agent Two snapped out. "We're here regarding inconsistency in the medical and psionics records."

"Oh boy." I said with mock glee. "I have always wanted to get interrogated!"

Agent One didn't much appreciate either comment. I knew that as a prince there wasn't too much that they could do to me, but the IPIA also operated somewhat independently. "Listen. According to the records that we have, your psionic potential is marked as lower than what the ship's sensors have picked up. We're here to re-rate your potential and try to find out why this is the case."

"So I am going to get dozens of wires hooked up on my head and then you'll tell me to sleep while you analyze everything, all the while I can't sleep because I have a god damn million wires attached to my skull?" I asked, grinning all the while.

"Yes." Agent Two said. "Make this easier for the both of us so we can get this done before we get back to Haroma."

"Easy? Ha. I don't get paid to make life easy for you two." I said. The answer to that was Agent Two walking over and hanging up a bag that I didn't see until now on the IV rack. He plugged that in, and it steadily dripped down, mixing with the painkillers. I could read, barely, on the bag something about a sedative. "Well that's cheap."

I didn't get to hear the response.

Vigilance 39

When I finally woke up, the IPIA agents were gone, and I felt like I had been sleeping for... far too long. I am sure they just sedated me until the bag was empty and left in the meantime. I looked around as I woke up, still somewhat out of it. The agents are gone, and one of the Navy nurses was taking some readings off everyone. She had her back turned to me. Part of me wanted to pretend to be asleep, and scare her. Now isn't the time though. I simply stretched a bit in the bed.

"Are we heading for Haroma yet?" I asked as I laid in bed.

"We will be departing within the hour, sir." The nurse said. "Is there anything that you need?"

I could think of a dozen and a half different things that I could use at this point. None of them would be a polite thing to say, or befitting of royalty. "No, nothing at all. Thank you though." I said, putting on a mostly fake smile.

"Very well sir. The jump shouldn't do much to you, but if something happens, please call us." The nurse said, and then left the room after writing a few more things down.

If it weren't for all of the machines, I'd gladly be out of the bed and moving around a bit. Hell, at least I'd have normal clothes then instead of one of these stupid gowns. But until they disconnected me, there's nothing that I can really do here. I laid back again and stared up at the solid metal ceiling and the smooth texture of the ceiling tile.

"All hands, we're charging for the jump to Haroma. Please brace for the slight pull of the jump. Inertial dampeners are active." The Captain of the ship said over the intercom of the vessel.

Despite the instant transport to Haroma, I knew that it would be, at this distance from the planet, about three days in real time. I closed my eyes and waited for the jump. Once we jumped, I'd be home just about, and then the first thing I'd do is indulge in the one thing I have missed for the last month. Alcohol. Real alcohol, and not the knock-off stuff that the Army distributed that was run through sterilizing beams or whatever makes them utterly tasteless.

The whole ship gave a light jerk, almost unnoticeable, and then it was completely smooth again. Just like that, I am three days older and we traveled about 2,000 light-years.