Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Aegis

- Marcus -

Marcus' eyes widened slightly when Rise raised her fan into the air, but he didn't take a step back. With his senses heightened by his magic, he was more than aware of the fact that James was behind him somewhere. Rise wouldn't risk dropping brimstone in his direction.

"That's where you're wrong." Marcus responded with a sad smile. "I'm not worth her attention or affections, but that doesn't make me want them any less."


"Maybe that's why I don't want to make such a big deal out of it. No sense in getting my hopes up for the inevitable crash back to earth, right?"

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- Keynes -

"Thank you." Keynes pulled Kokonoe into a tight embrace before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Take care of yourself and our daughter until I get back."

He stepped back, allowing his eyes to linger on her for a moment longer, and then turned to everyone else approaching. "Alright you sorry lot, we're relocating this little boot camp! Everyone go get whatever you brought with you. Lambda is going to be relocating us to Bunker 13."

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Ocean

- Lisa -

Lisa remained silent through Ehlana's response. While it was true that the strains were a mutation to begin with, and Lisa herself was more aware than most of where they had originated, she couldn't see a scenario where a Redcape occurred naturally.

"I've probably got enough power to keep up this speed for another three hours, and maybe half this for an hour after that." She responded to Jax, flexing her fingers around the edge of the raft. "Then, I'll need a few hours to rest."

Taking a deep breath, she finally turned her attention to Ehlana. "You tell me." Her voice was cold, but not emotionless. This was a woman she'd been prepared to defend the rights of, but that notion was quickly withering. "How would injecting an innocent child be any different from injecting an innocent bystander at a music concert?"

Ergo Research
- Marcus -

Rise's eyes softened, and she lowered her fans at Marcus' words. It sounded like something James would have said back before they'd gotten together, and that made it hurt more than she would have expected.

"You shouldn't say that," she said. Your feelings matter. Even if she doesn't return them, that doesn't mean they're not worth something. And there's only no chance if you never say anything."

She looked over at where James stood and smiled.

"I was in love with someone once," she said. "And if I hadn't confessed to him and heard that he didn't return my feelings, I wouldn't have been able to move on. And if James had never confessed his feelings to me, we might not be together right now."

Keynes called out to them, and Rise frowned. Relocating? Why?

"Come on," she said, grabbing waving Marcus on as she ran over to the rest of the group. "This isn't over yet!"

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- Kokonoe -

Kokonoe let a small sigh escape her lips as Keynes pulled her into an embrace. Why did these moments have to be so few and far between?

"I will," she promised. She watched as Keynes and the rest of Aegis gathered around Lambda. Then, in a flash of brilliant light, they had vanished. Kokonoe lingered a few moments, staring around the now empty room, before heading back to her lab.

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Ocean
- Jax -

Jax remained silent during Lisa and Ehlana's continuing argument. It was starting to wear on him, and he didn't have the energy to keep refuting Ehlana's misguided views.

He leaned against the side of the raft and peered out over the sea. It might have been his imagination, but the raft felt a little less solid than it had before. At least, he hoped he was imagining it...

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Peterny - Old Guard Prison
- Alexei -

Alexei pondered Nadenka and her words. She was such a mystifying blend of optimism and melancholy. What made her like that?

She brightened up when talking about her family and how their ancestors came from somewhere in Russia called "Moscow." How far away was that from Arusia?

When she spoke in Russia, he frowned. It was an intriguing-sounding language. What had she just said now?

"Why learn Russian?" he asked. "There's no one else around to speak it."

[OOC: The Leviathan incident happened many generations ago. No one currently alive experienced the world before that. I had Alexei responding to Nadenka talking about her ancestors being from Russia, not her parents.]

Ergo Research - Gym
- Lenka -

“What?” Lenka first looked surprised, then shocked as the news sank in. “How’s that possible?” she whispered.

It took her a few seconds to shake the dread that was overcoming her.

“I hope you’re right,” she said to Luke as they headed over to Keynes and Lambda.

James was already there, waiting. As much as he knew training was important, he welcomed the chance for a break. That it brought this many bad news, he hadn’t expected.

Of course he was worried about Lisa and Jax, but they were tough, right?

When everyone had gathered, he braced himself for Lambda’s Traesto spell.

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Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana took her time to answer. She could understand where Lisa was coming from and why she felt like injecting a bystander and a baby was equally wrong.

Sure, she could give the long answer. How Kaddath conscripted its magic users to the military and that meant they were enemy combatants to her. How that made them fair game. And how it was the lesser of the two evils. An adult was aware of their strain, the dangers it posed. However a baby? Not so much, especially if the strain still lay dormant.

But in all honesty, she didn’t feel like justifying her actions. In the end, they wouldn’t understand. Not here, not in this world.

Finally she answered without elaborating on Lisa's other question.

“I wouldn’t choose to,” Ehlana said.

Still what if she was ordered to? Well that didn’t seem like it would happen in the near future, so she decided not to ponder over the answer.

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Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Their arrival had of course interrupted any activity and the people in the room stood at attention. “At ease,” Lorrin ordered and they all resumed what they were doing.

There was maybe 10 people in the room. It appeared some had already headed out.

“This is Sgt. Red Connor,” Lorrin walked Kurik over to a middle aged man who was talking animatedly to one of his Privates. “His squad just came back from patrol. They, along with squad 4 and 6 are under my command and are mainly in charge of outer security.”

Kurik nodded. It seemed to be a three-shift system. Smart. Easier to maintain than a two or four shift system, because you needed less people.

“Did Squad 4 have anything to report, Red?” Lorrin asked. Even though there seemed to be a command structure, Lorrin didn’t seem to insist on it.

Red shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary, Captain. I’m sure you’ll get the report eventually” he said with a grin. “Who did you bring with you?” he asked curiously.

“This is Kurik,” Lorrin explained the circumstances of Kurik’s presence and introduced him to the squad. This gave Kurik an idea.

“I’d like to head out with them,” he said and looked from Lorrin to Red to see how his idea was received. “It would give me a good chance to observe everything first-hand.”

Lorrin hesitated for a second and then nodded his consent. “If Sgt. Connor agrees,” he said.

Red shrugged. “Sure. I don’t mind. It’ll be fun and maybe not so boring then,” he grinned and tossed Kurik an Old Guard jacket. “Gotta dress the part though.”

Lorrin nodded once more. “You know where to find me,” he said and left with a wave of his hand.

“Okay, let’s get this party started,” Red was enthusiastic about it. While Kurik dressed in the Old Guard uniform, Red rattled down the names of his squad and their exact orders.

“Ready,” Kurik finally said and together with Squad 5 he headed out.

Ergo Research
Luke Jaron

"I hope I am right too." Luke smiled softly, then he shook his head and had little more optimism "Nah, I got the feeling I am going to meet him again, and I am usually not wrong with this kind of feeling." then Luke looked at Lenka, somewhat confident than before "I kind of had that feeling when I met..." Luke did not really finish what he was going to say as he realized what he might implied, and he thank the invisible being for the great timing. But his mouth moved faster than his thought, "....You" However, he did not say it loud thankfully, so Lenka might not have heard him....and, Keynes called them up and Lenka and Luke had to gather around like everyone else.

Perhaps the news hit hard Lenka, so she might not have heard properly? Luke couldn't believe in himself what he was about to say to her. And most importantly, the timing as well! If Luke had a time, he would have punched himself for being inconsiderate. Lenka was probably swallowing the news hard and his mouth was about to flirt with her.

"What's wrong with you, Luke! Get yourself together!" He scolded himself in whisper and was ready to be teleported with others.

Aegis

- Keynes -

As they stepped out of the teleportation circle, Keynes inhaled the stale, bunker air. He didn't know why, but it always brought a smile to his face. "Thank you, Lambda. I'll signal you if we need further assistance, but hopefully, it won't be necessary."

Taking a few steps further, Keynes turned to the rest of the group. "As you can see, we've been deposited in the mess hall." He gestured to the empty tables around them. "Outside the doors behind me is a single hallway. The gym and locker rooms are to the left, and the common room and barracks are to the right."


"Unfortunately, this place was built for a time when the army was primarily male. So, there's only one big room in the barracks, but I think you all can manage. Just pick a bunk and stash your stuff under it."


"I'm going to head topside and find Alina to discuss our next course of action. James, you're in charge. Probably best that you all get the place cleaned up. It's gonna be your home while we're in the Capitol."

Nodding to James, Keynes turned and made his way down the hallway to the service elevator, which would take him up into one of the older Capitol police stations.

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- Marcus -

"One big room?" Marcus coughed, glancing in Lenka and Rise's direction to see how the two of them took that news. Not that he would be able to see it very well. The lighting in this room wasn't much to brag about, but at least it was better than that of the group home.

"Right..." Still feeling slightly disoriented from the teleportation spell, he made his way down the hall. At the end was a moderately sized room with a couple dusty couches and a humming vending machine, which appeared to have contained snacks at some point. He wasn't sure if they could be trusted now though.

Through the next door, the space opened up into a dimly lit room with lines of bunks on either wall. Taking a quick count, he came up with twenty beds total. That did at least put a decent amount of space between each of them for some privacy, but judging from the echos of his footfalls, the odds were good that any sound would carry in this room. Not a good place for keeping secrets.

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Ocean

- Lisa -

Lisa frowned at Ehlana's last response. Clearly, the woman had some issues to work through. Of course, considering that her comrades had just tried to silence her in the most permanent way, that was probably to be expected.

Allowing her thoughts to take her away, Lisa focused on the horizon. If she remembered correctly, there were a few small islands between Ergo and the mainland. Hopefully, they would stumble upon one before she burned out for the day.

It wouldn't be as good as making the mainland, but it was a step up from an inflatable raft in the middle of the ocean at night...

Caltha - Barracks
- Rise -

Lambda nodded at Keynes words and stepped back to leave.

"Please be careful," she said, gazing at Keynes. "Kokonoe... worries. She doesn't like to admit it - I think it makes her feel vulnerable - but she does. And... so do I."

She bowed her head and vanished in a flash of light.

Rise watched her go, then turned to survey their surroundings as Keynes pointed them out. She wrinkled her nose at the musty smell and put her hands on her hips. It wasn't quite as homey as the original bunker they'd called home for a while, but they'd certainly seen worse.

"Cooking is my specialty, not cleaning," she said, frowning as Keynes left the room. Marcus wandered off to explore, and Rise followed after him with a bounce in her step.

"Hey, Marcuuus~" she trilled, grinning. "How about you start cleaning, and while you do, we can talk about your... problem."

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Caltha - High General's Chamber
- Lecarde -

The door to the High General's chamber opened, and Lecarde strode through. His eyes were hard and determined.

"High General," he said. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but Minister Winters and I left for the capital right after the Old Guard's declaration. I had to be here."

He balled his hands into fists.

"Please allow me to take part in the negotiations," he said fervently. "If she really is Arzei Adalia's daughter... I need to know."

He turned at the sound of footsteps and faced Keynes.

"Minister Allenby," he said, inclining his head.

[OOC: Keynes is part of the Electorate, right?]

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Caltha - Capitol Entrance
- Maxim -

The Old Guard procession stopped outside the entrance to the capitol building, where a small group of Army officials was waiting to welcome them.

Well, perhaps "welcome" was a bit of stretch. Maxim smiled wryly at the frigid reception.

"High General Grey will be meeting with you in the Kaiser's Complex. Please follow us."

Farrington's face tightened, as did most of the Old Guard familiar with the capitol. Ariana Adalia seemed blissfully unaware of the situation, however, as she led the procession in her full regalia, strutting like a peacock.

Whatever this "Kaiser's Complex" was, it was probably intended to discomfort the Old Guard and put Alina Grey and her followers at an advantage. Shrewd move.

"What do you think of Caltha?" he asked Belo, admiring the beautiful and regal architecture and scenery around them. "Nothing like Arusia."

Peterny - Old Guard Prison
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka smiled weakly, "Well... there's used to be one more...." Her sparkling green eyes lost its light; it looks like the question actually hit her harder than Alexei had given thought about it.

Then she took a deep breath, "Even if I am, I can teach others. That would make two, right?" It seems she quickly recovered from her own heart's heaviness... Or perhaps she is trying to  act tough?

She sighed, perhaps she realized it was not working. It looked like she was remembering something painful... The question of why she had learned Russian, at first she did it for the sake of her parents who did not want her to forget her heritage, later on, Russian became a language between her and her lover.

But now, Alexei was right... She was the only one who could speak the language... She quickly shook her head, trying to fight the sadness that was coming over her.

"How about you? Don't you have something to cherish your origin?" She asked Alexei, in the hope of finding something to distract her.

______________________________________________________________________

Caltha - Capitol Entrance
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"


"Sir, I find it beautiful as well, but, I am confident, if Arusia was given a land like this, Arusia would have built much grand and beautiful place than they did. " Said Belobog, he was studying the structure and the work of his enemies carefully.

He was not really sure how this negotiation would go, but he was not going to let the new environment be hindrance to protecting Maxim and killing his enemies if he must.

"And I do believe this place was not only crafted for beauty, Sir." Said Belobog, remembering what he had read from files from Nadenka's computer. "The doctor that is currently held in prison, her old files indicated this place held great importance for the old Kaddath."

Belobog bite his lips, "But, apart from that, I could not really make out many things from her files. It was coded with weird shapes."

Bunker
- James & Lenka -

“Right,” James replied to Keynes and looked around. He didn’t really know what to do, but getting this place cleaned up seemed like a good idea.

When he turned back around, Rise and Marcus had already wandered off to explore.

“Are you alright with this?” he asked Lenka, referring to the prospect of them all sleeping in one big room together.

“Of course,” she chimed. “I’m not a little girl anymore.” If it did bother her, she certainly didn’t show it.

“But I’m worried about Jax and Lisa,” Lenka said and bit her lip. James looked at her questioningly and she filled him on what Luke had told her.

James put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I trust them and Keynes to find a way. For now let’s focus on making this place feel a bit more like home.”

Lenka nodded. “I’ll start looking around for some cleaning supplies,” she said and turned to the door on the left to find the supply room. “Do you know if there’s any food?” she asked over her shoulder.

James shrugged. “Rise might know,” he said.

“Luke, do you mind going with Marcus and Rise to see if you can get the bunk room cleaned up a bit?” he asked the young man. “And ask Rise if she wants to take a look at the kitchen to see if we need some supplies for cooking.”

“Meanwhile, I’m going to see if I can’t get the generator working,” he added and turned towards the service elevator that would take him to the basement and the generator room. “I’m really not a fan of dim lights and enclosed spaces.”

Bunker
Luke Jaron

Luke sighed in relief as it looked like Lenka did not catch what he accidentally said, and what Keynes said did not bothered him much as he had trained in mountains for years and he had taken shower in open world before.

Well, it did not bothered him much until he realized that there were ladies in the group. Then again, as long as he himself be careful not to interrupt the ladies, he thought of it as not a problem.

When Keynes left the group, he had given cleaning duty to everyone and Luke was fairly confident in that area as he always started his morning with cleaning up duty; he did not enjoy it much back then, but this cleaning was little different...

However, before he could even start with the duty, James and Lenka's conversation caught his attention. He was not trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, but with the environment they were in, it was hard not to.

Luke rubbed his neck, little bit faulting himself for burdening Lenka with the worries of missing two members. He silently fault himself for not good at encouraging others, too.

Soon James come over to Luke after speaking with Lenka. Luke nodded as James told Luke what to check up with Rise, "Sure, I could do that" Said Luke, even if it was new environment for him, Luke was quite confident he could catch up to those two.

"Hope generator down there won't give you too much trouble." Said Luke; Luke was sure James could take care of it well, but after seeing how Lenka was affected with the news of Lisa and Jax, he really did not like the idea that James being hurt as well. "I will be back soon."

Luke went to the direction where Rise and Marcus went, and it was not hard for him to find them as their footsteps were louder than his. Their voices were not loud to hear it from the hall, but they were speaking loud enough for Luke to hear them out.

Luke learned surprising people isn't nice, but as he was too far away from them, he thought he would just quickly catch up to them to say hi. He followed them quick and soundlessly without much effort and was planning to make sound when they could see each other.

Aegis

- Marcus -

Marcus glanced over his shoulder before tossing his bag onto one of the beds. A decision he immediately regretted, as it caused a cloud of dust to rise up around him, leading to a small coughing fit.

"Has anyone ever told you that subtlety isn't one of your strong points?" Marcus asked as he stepped away from the bunk, waving his arm through the air to clear it. "And geez, this place clearly hasn't been used in a while."

Coughing one more time, Marcus stepped to the next bunk and ran his finger through the layer of dust on top of it. The line was obvious, even in the dim light. Oh yeah, cleaning in here was going to be a nightmare.

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High General's Chamber

- Alina -

Alina turned worried eyes towards her old friend. If she'd known something like this would come up, she might not have invited him back to the Capitol. He was making progress in his new life, and the last thing he needed were more reminders of his old one.

"I'm not sure that there will be negotiations." She began with a weak smile. "Much of that hinges on the validity of the girl's claims, and until we've sorted that part out, no real conversation can take place."

"I assume you already have a plan then?" Keynes asked as he stepped into the office, giving Lecarde a nod.

"I don't think this is a situation we can approach with a plan." Alina responded, lowering herself into her chair. "There are too many variables to determine potential outcomes. Until we have more information, a plan would simply lock us into a course of action that might not be the best."

She noted the approval in Keynes' eyes as he nodded. "You're learning."


"So, how would you like to proceed then?"

An excellent question. If only she had the right answer to go with it.

"The first step is verifying her claim." Alina sighed. "With the research team in the Capitol, that should take about an hour with a blood sample, assuming she's willing to provide one."


"Once we have that information, we can proceed from there. I've told the staff to put them in Raidon's old conference room." She gave Lecarde a meaningful look. "So, even though I'll be the only one in the room with them for the initial meeting, you're welcome to observe through the two-way mirror."

Caltha - Bunker
- Rise -

Rise rolled her eyes.

"Subtlety has nothing to do with it," she said, planting her hands on her hips. "You've got to tell Lenka how you feel about her, and you have to do it directly. If you're waiting for her to pick up on it, then trust me - it's going to be a long time."

She watched Marcus inspecting the dust along the bunks and sighed. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely concerned about the cleanliness of the room or just looking for a distraction.

"Besides, what if you wait too long and someone else captures her heart," Rise continued. "Wouldn't it suck to know that maybe, if you'd said something first, it would be you she was with and not some other guy?"

She automatically moved to sit on the bed, then thought better of it after the cloud of dust she'd seen Marcus kick up.

"Never have regrets in love," she said sagely, holding up a finger. "Lesson number 1."

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Caltha - Kaiser's Complex
- Maxim -

Maxim chuckled at Belo's declaration.

"Your conviction is refreshing," he said lightly. "But no country or government is without flaw. Perhaps we could build something better, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from the Kaddathians as well."

They entered into the building, following after their escorts. Maxim surveyed their surroundings, intrigued.

"The Kaiser's Complex..." he mused. "Did our friend's writings say much on this place?"

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Caltha - High General's Chamber

- Lecarde -

Lecarde frowned at Alina's words.

"Are you sure you wish to meet with them alone? This High Lady will have her own advisers and retainers on hand. I know you're capable, High General, but..."

He trailed off with a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

"Apologies. I believe I'm allowing my emotions to get the best of me," he said. "If you believe this is the best course of action, I will follow it."

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Peterny - Old Guard Prison
- Alexei -

Alexei frowned as the cheerful mask Nadenka put on seemed to crack. There was a lot of grief in her, far more than she tried to let on. This language of hers - Russian - seemed very important to her. Perhaps...

"No, not really," he said, shaking his head at her question. He was Arusian, but there was nothing culturally significant about that to him. He didn't know what his family lineage was. Perhaps they had been Russian as well, but he'd never know.

"Teach me," he said gruffly. There was no real benefit to it, but she seemed to want to have someone to share it with, and he had nothing better to do.

Caltha - Kaiser's Complex
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

"Of course, sir, I am sure we could learn something from them." Said Belobog eyeing at the old guards, "But, not so sure they are willing to teach and share." He added in quiet manner, unconvinced by the behavior of old guards.

When Maxim asked about Nadenka's note about Kaiser's complex, Belobog curled his lips. "Yes, sir. She had a note about Kaiser's complex. However, just like I have reported, much details of her notes were coded with weird shapes. The shapes that I was able to somewhat decoded had close meaning of 'interrogation' and 'meeting'... By the looks of their hardened faces, I am guessing interrogation would be close to that weird shapes' meaning. But, sir, I could be wrong. Except names, most of them were in weird shapes. The files almost had made me believe she's a hacker. I was surprised to find out she was just a doctor."

Then Belobog paused for a second and quickly added, "Sir, I am not really sure why you are keeping her as a prisoner. Do you think she will be useful for our cause?" Belobog asked, cautiously, he never doubt Maxim's action, but keeping her as a prisoner bothered him. Ehlana was good as dead, in Belo's selfish mind, they should have done the same to the Kaddathians; killing Nadenka would not bring back Ehlana, but they should have paid Kaddathians' action, blood by blood.

__________________________________________________________

Peterny - Old Guards Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"You would what!?" Said Nadenka, surprised, then realizing what she had said to Alexei, she turned little red, "Well... I could teach you... But, uhm.... Not so sure, if I could teach you like this..." Said Nadenka, then she cleared her throat, calming down herself, Alexei did not know what she had said to him in Russian few minutes back, so there shouldn't be any harm in teaching him some.

"Maybe you can bring me a notebook and pen? I could teach you some basic using those..." She asked cautiously as she was not so sure with the regulation of this prison.

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

After Lenka gathered some cleaning supplies, she made her way back to the bunker room. She remembered Rise and Marcus had wandered in there. It was as good a place as any to start cleaning.

When she entered the room, she could see Marcus and Rise in the dim light standing by the bunk beds.

“I found cleaning supplies,” she announced with a loud voice before she was even close to them. Also, she sounded entirely too happy and excited at the prospect of having to clean.

With a grin on her face, she approached them.

“Hey Luke,” she said as she passed him.

Without waiting further for any instructions, she tossed Marcus a broom.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in any of these beds unless they’re freshly made and that won’t happen as long as there’s two inches of dust anywhere.”

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- James -

As the elevator doors closed, James looked around, feeling uncomfortable. Darkness and enclosed spaces. Two of his least favourite things. Luckily the journey was short and with a surprisingly soft thud the elevator stopped.

He stepped out and pulled out a flashlight from his pocket. The light down here was even more dim, probably because several lightbulbs in the hallway were broken.

James sighed and concentrated on the task on hand. Finding the generator room.

The beam of his flashlight illuminated the walls. Finally. The third door he tried revealed the generator. Even though he didn’t expect anything to happen, he tried the light switch. Nothing.

“Of course not,” he muttered under his breath. “I wonder if anything in this place even works.”

Exerting some force, he opened the power box to check if everything was in working order before he pulled the switch to turn the generator on. The last thing he needed was a complete power outage.

Luckily, everything was just old, but not broken and with a loud creak, the generator started. There was a low hum that resonated through the room and he could hear the machines firing up.

Then, the light flickered and turned on. James sighed with relief. Maybe it wasn’t so bad here. Giving the room one last glance, he began to make his way back.

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Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

After a long series of hallways and tunnels, they finally arrived above ground. Kurik noticed the dark atmosphere in the tunnels hadn’t bothered him in the slightest. Maybe living in Arusia did come with some perks.

“Just carry on with your normal procedure,” he told Sergeant Connor.

The outside didn’t look like particularly interesting, mostly nature. That was expected. The bunker system that the Old Guard had chosen as their headquarters was just outside of Peterney, hidden in the low sloping hills. The occasional field and group of trees was all that interrupted the view towards the city.

“Well normally we split up in pairs of two. One group stays at the entrance, the other does a round through the area,” Connor explained. “One round shouldn’t take longer than an hour. Then we move on to the next entrance.”

Kurik nodded. Simple and effective. Depending on how many entrance there were, they all were covered and patrolled in a very regular interval. In addition, he’d seen cameras and motion sensor at the entrance.

Sergeant Connor looked thoughtful for a second. “Ah what the heck. Why don’t you go with Nick and Leonora, do a round if you like. Jonah and I will stay here.”

Kurik nodded. During the walk from the barracks, he hadn’t seen Jonah speak a single word. The young man had always stayed at the back and kept a bit of sulky expression on his face. Nick and Leonora were much more talkative and definitely in a better mood.

Together with Nick and Leonora he set off towards the first grouping of trees. Leonora lead the way, following a barely visible path through the grass. There was no road within sight and Kurik wondered how frequented this area was.

“How often do you switch paths?” he asked Nick. Nick shrugged, obviously not too concerned. “Dunno, depends on who is leading. I think Jonah changes it every time and so does Leonora, right?” he had raised his voice a little and looked towards the woman leading the way.

“There is no fixed number of times we go the same way,” Leonora said calmly. “As soon as a path becomes visible, we’re supposed to chose a new one. But you know, some follow that rule more closely than others.”

Nick chuckled. “Some people are just lazy,” he joked. Leonora threw him a stern look, but he still looked unconcerned. Obviously he slacked off too every now and then.

“Nobody ever comes into this area,” Nick said.

“I think it’s a good system,” Kurik commented. “How frequented is this area?”

“Do you really care about this?” Leonora asked. She didn’t sound outright suspicious, but her implication was clear.

Now it was Kurik’s turn to shrug. “I’m just trying to do my job. And that includes looking at every aspect. I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes.”

Meanwhile they had arrived at the first grouping of trees on top of a small hill. Nick broke off to the side and weaved through them, making sure nothing suspicious was around. Then they moved on, down the hill, up the next.

“Why do you help these Arusians?” Leonora suddenly asked after they spent some time in silence.

“Probably the same reason why you joined the Old Guard,” Kurik prompted. He watched as Leonora’s face darkened.

“I seriously doubt it,” she said.

“Okay, I tell you my reason and you tell me yours,” Kurik challenged her. She nodded her consent.

“I turned my back to the current government of Kaddath because their values are all wrong and that cost my best friend his life. In their eyes, it just wasn’t worth saving.”

Surprise showed on Leonora’s face. Clearly, she hadn’t expected this.

“My sister died in the Majin attacks because people were not warned about their full danger or provided support,” she finally said. Kurik nodded sympathetically. He understood. She also felt it was the governments fault. If they had cared more about the people, spread more information and security, this could have been prevented.

They continued walking in relative silence when suddenly Leonora stopped. Before Kurik could ask her, she knelt down and pointed to the left. Kurik and Nick followed suit.

“There was a proximity alert coming from the north,” she said in a low voice and pointed at her com. Ah, so she had been in contact with Sergeant Connor and Jonah. “It could be nothing, but Sergeant Connor said to see if we can get a visual.”

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

When Rise said Marcus had feeling for Lenka, Luke stopped for a moment to comprehend; 'Oh... So... Lenka and Marcus were not....uhm.... dating?' Luke felt relieved, '...felt relieved? What for?' Luke shook his head, feeling little bit stupid about himself.

Luke cleared his throat in a way to signal his presence, to let Rise and Marcus know that he was pretty close now. But, before he could say something further, Lenka shouted about finding cleaning supplies and she was quite quick with her feet as well.

Luke was surprised when she said hi to him, "Oh, hi, Lenka." Said Luke in response.

When he finally got to see Marcus, Rise and Lenka together, he saw Lenka barking orders at Marcus to clean the place. Luke smiled faintly, even if they were not dating, they still looked close for Luke's eyes. Besides, Luke couldn't really blame Rise for being very friendly to Marcus as well; Luke had been difficult to Aegis group, and he was still hiding a lot of things to them.

'Well, I did join this group as a stranger...' Thought Luke, shaking his head and as he came to their sight, he had his hand gave small wave at them, "Rise, James wants to know if you want to check out the kitchen. He said, then picking up extra cleaning tools.

"You know, I think one person should be enough to clean this place." Said Luke, "Besides, I had cleaned bigger rooms several times by myself before. He added, with gentle smile on his face. "I don't think it will take long, so why don't you guys leave this to me and check out the kitchen together?" He asked, and he already started cleaning.

Caltha - Bunker
- Rise -

Rise jumped at the sound of Lenka's voice approaching. Crap, bad timing.

Wait, no, this was good! Marcus said she wasn't good at subtle. Well then, subtlety out the window!

"Hey, Lenka," Rise said cheerfully as she greeted them. "Yes, you should start cleaning in here."

Oh no, Luke. Another wrench in the plan! He came over and told them he could handle this room himself to get them all going to the kitchen.

"No!" Rise declared. "Umm, actually, why don't you help me in the kitchen, Luke? That's kind of my thing. Marcus and Lenka can handle this place together."

She seized him by the elbow and dragged him from the room.

"Okay, see you two later!" she chirped as they headed out of the room. There we go. Marcus was perfectly in place to start talking now.

Of course, she did feel a little sorry for Luke. He did seem to have a thing for Lenka too. Or maybe he was just super awkward. Either way...

"So how are you holding up?" she asked him, letting go of his arm. "With Mark and everything."

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

"Huh?" Luke was surprised as he was forced out of the room, confused, but as Rise requested him to help her, he quickly change the direction to the door so that she doesn't need to use too much strength in dragging him out.

When they finally out of the room, leaving the two of them, Rise stopped pulling his arm. Luke glanced back, but his head was turned to face forward, shaking off emotions he felt in that particular moment. and his feet walked the direction to the kitchen with Rise.

When Rise asked about Mark and how Luke himself was holding up, Luke smiled faintly. "Honestly, I don't know." Said Luke, "But, I am not going to sulk around and do nothing. And well, Mark is alive isn't he? He will wake up soon and kick my back as a greeting in no time." There was little optimism in his voice and his faint smile became quite a smile, then he looked at Rise as if he had realized something, he quickly became concerned, "How about you? How are you holding up? The news about Jax and Lisa, the sabotage... You must be going through a lot of emotions too. " Luke asked her gently.

Aegis

- Marcus -

He resisted the urge to groan in frustration. Barely.

As if to prove his point, both Luke and Lenka had made it all the way into the room without Rise noticing. Did he want Lenka to know how he felt? Probably. Did she need to find out from someone other than him? Definitely not.

Marcus glanced at the broom Lenka had thrown him, but his attention was mainly on Rise as she practically dragged Luke from the room. Yeah, subtlety definitely wasn't her thing...

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, and immediately sneezing after the fact, Marcus tried not to think about how all of this would look to Lenka. She might be dense about certain things, but this was all a little too obvious.

He carefully propped the broom against the wall, so that it wouldn't fall over and kick up another cloud of dust. "Okay, let's shake the beds out first. That way we only have to sweep once." He gestured to the top of the bunk as he grabbed the foot end of the mattress.

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

Capitol

- Alina -

"He has a point." Keynes grumbled. "She'll have an entourage of some kind, and that will leave you outnumbered in the room."

Alina smiled at Keynes' rough tone, but she put a hand on his shoulder so that he'd be quiet. "This room is rigged with more surprises than you could fit into a decade of birthday parties. Not to mention the fact that everything going on inside it gets recorded and sent straight to Raidon's office."


"It's not that I'm not concerned, but they would be idiots to try anything here, especially before the verification process. If that falls through, they have no claim, regardless of my status after the fact."


"One way or another, they need this to succeed more than I do."

Keynes' gaze wandered over her for a moment before he shrugged. "Okay, so you've thought it out. Glad to see you're still learning on the job."

"While I appreciate the compliment, I would still prefer that the both of you are standing by behind the two-way mirror. I'll tell the medical staff to report to you when the girl's claim is verified, and the both of you can join us then with the verdict."

Caltha - Bunker
- Rise -

Rise smiled. It was good to see Luke being more upbeat.

Concern quickly clouded his expression, however, and he asked how she was holding up.

Holding up? Then he mentioned... Jax and Lisa? Sabotage?

Rise froze in place, staring at him.

"They... what?" she murmured. Was that what they'd all been talking about? She and Marcus had been wrapped up in their fight and conversation, and no one had said anything and... why was she just hearing about this now?

"Are they okay? What happened?" she demanded. When Luke had explained the situation, she leaned against the wall and buried her face in her hands.

"They have to be okay. They have to..." Rise whispered.

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

Caltha - Palace
- Lecarde -

Lecarde nodded at Alina's words.

"Let's not keep them waiting then," he said, falling into step behind her as they marched over to the Kaiser's Complex.

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

Caltha - Kaiser's Complex
- Maxim -

Maxim smiled at Belo's question as they were given seats in a very grim meeting room.

"You have an unfortunate tendency for short-sightedness, Belo," he said calmly. "I assure you, our guest is quite useful."

Maxim surveyed the meeting room, his eyes sweeping every inch. It really was an excellent choice of location. Alina Grey was shaping up to be a formidable opponent.

"What on earth is taking so long?" Farrington snarled. "And being asked to meet here instead of the Palace. What does that usurper think she's up to?"

Ariana Adalia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking far more like the little girl she actually was.

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

Peterny - Old Guards Prison
- Alexei -

Alexei scratched thoughtfully at the stubble on his chin. Pen and paper might be an issue, but... Well, it wouldn't really hurt, would it?

"As long as you don't try to stab anyone with the pen, I wouldn't worry," he said. "I'll come back."

After a few minutes, he returned with pen and paper and sat down in front of her cell. He passed the items through to her and waited patiently.

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

Luke was surprised to learn that Rise did not hear about a thing... Then again, she was pretty busy with her training with Marcus... It was a possibility that she did not hear it at all until now.

"Yeah... Kokonoe came in and told us that transport that carried Jax, Lisa and Ehlana had its signal lost... The government is suspecting of sabotage, and I do not know all the details, but it seems Raidon is on the case..."

When Rise leaned against the wall, and as she had her face covered with her hands, Luke just realized how Rise was smaller than him.

Luke bite his lips, he was not really sure what to say, not so sure how to cheer her up. But he had to do something...

"They will be okay, Rise!" Said Luke, confidently, "I know Aegis had went through a lot, fought against way stronger foes, and Jax, I know I met him once, but he had that aura around him. A man with such strong aura won't fall that easily." Then, "And Lisa, I think she would not go down that easily either!" Luke bite his lips, he was not so sure if he was doing it right... His fingers started to scratch his hair as he was feeling little nervous about all this. "I am not good at comforting others, but..." Luke gently hold Rise arm that covered her face, and lead it down so that he could see her eyes to eyes, "But, I have faith in them that they will come back swinging. So, you know, let's do our best here and scold them when they come back. You know, for making us worry and being late to the action...and maybe giving them a group hug when they come back..." Luke sighed and rubbed his neck, "I am pretty bad at comforting people, aren't I?" Said Luke, with a weak smile, "How about this, let me take you to James. When you calm down, you can teach me about the kitchen and such. Meanwhile I will do the cleaning and washing some dishes if it needs to be done." Said Luke, concerned, but trying his best to lift up Rise's spirit.

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

It took Lenka a few seconds to realise that somehow she had walked in on an awkward situation. Rise practically fled the room with Luke in tow.

She didn’t know what they had been talking about, but she was too curious to just let it go.

Marcus’ sneezing interrupted her thoughts and she chuckled. His face looked quite comical.

“Right.” They went to work, starting with the mattresses. It was hard to see in the dim light. Thankfully, the lights turned up suddenly.

Lenka narrowed her eyes. “Well that took James long enough,” she muttered.

The room looked even more desolate now.

“So what were you guys talking about?” she asked as they continued cleaning. Even though she tried to be upbeat, anything would be a welcome distraction from the news they had received earlier about Jax and Lisa and the prisoner.

Wait, did Marcus and Rise even know about it yet? Everything had happened so fast and they had trained quite far away. Lenka bit her lip. She hated breaking bad news.

-----------

- James -

James exited the elevator and stood in the hallway for a few seconds. With the brighter light, it features looked familiar, bringing back memories from two years ago.

He headed to the control room, where the computer and cameras should be. The door creaked horribly, obviously it hadn’t been opened in a long time. The air smelled very stale, but the lights turned on. The set up was…outdated to put it nicely.

“I should charge them extra for making me work with equipment that was around before I was born,” James said unhappily to himself.

From his bag, he produced his data tablet and began searching for a cable to connect. The start up of the system was surprisingly fast for its age. James cleared a space for his table and connected it. Automatically it connected to the army network and began to run a system check. One after the other, the cameras started up.

He sighed and sat down in the old chair. The update would take forever.

Caltha - Kaiser's Complex
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog tightened his lips, and nodded,"Sir, if you say so, I believe in your judgement." He wanted to know how Maxim was going use her, but if Maxim said he had found a way to use her, Belobog believed in Maxim that he would use her to his advantage.

However, his eyes were narrowed at the Farrington, for the person who should stay the most calmly manner was being the loudest and it was clear that he was a bad tactician when it comes to this kind of battle.

Belobog eyes wondered to the child who was 'crowned' as the leader of the Old Guard; she now really looked like a child. If she breaks down now, Belobog couldn't shake off the feeling they are rightly playing into this Kaddaths hands...

But Belobog believed in Maxim to have a plan to stabilize this, or a way to use this situation to Arusian's advantage.


______________________________________________________________

Peterny - Old Guards Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"What?" Nadenka voice raised in surprise, and she turned her back, with her face puffed as balloon, "How could you say that? Mister, you are talking to the lady who had saved every single lives, foes and allies, everyone who needs saving." She crossed her arms, "And I am not going to do anything opposite, even if it may cost my life." But she realized Alexei weren't there and soon he came back with pen and paper.

Nadenka sighed, feeling little dumb about her rant, and she took the paper and pen that were passed to her.

As she jotted down letter by letter, and how it made sound, her face softened. She soon smiled gently, and passed the pen and paper out. "These are alphabets in Russian, after you can read and write them, I will start teaching you some vocabulary." She cleared her throat and added, "You probably have missed my rant, so let me tell you in short version, I will heal whoever comes to me injured, even if saving that person may cost my life." Nadenka then added confidently, "So, don't you dare see me like many doctors who do their jobs for living, I do my job as a mission." Then she smiled weakly, expecting Alexei to take it as a joke and laugh like everyone else.

Aegis

- Marcus -

Of course she wasn't going to let it go...

Well, he'd always been told that when deflecting, it was best to stick close to the truth. So, here went nothing.
"We were talking about you." Marcus responded as they flipped the mattress, spilling dirt and dust onto the floor.

He closed his mouth almost immediately after, waiting for the cloud of dust to settle. After a brief pause, he felt comfortable with inhaling again, and he moved on to the next bed, motioning for Lenka to join him.

"Hopefully, the rest of the facility isn't as bad as in here. Otherwise, we might spend more time cleaning up than preparing for whatever is coming next."

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

Capitol

- Alina -

"I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I'm afraid that sentiment passed when you introduced yourself via emergency broadcast." Alina quipped as she stepped into the conference room. The air chilled noticeably as she closed the door behind her and made her way to the head of the table.

"I am glad you're willing to discuss this matter though." Her eyes drifted over the crowd in the room, resting on each of those present for a few seconds. A child, an aging loyalist, what she assumed was a bodyguard, and a mystery. She hated mysteries when it came to politics. They were usually the snakes in the grass.

"Lord Farrington." She nodded to her former acquaintance. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here. Please, introduce me to your friends."

- Keynes -

"This smells wrong." Keynes grumbled, scratching the stubble on his chin as he watched Alina greet her visitors. "Farrington has been missing since the fall of the old regime, but he was always a wily one."


"If he's willing to back the girl, then either she's the real deal, or he's using her." He glanced in Lecarde's direction to get a feel for the other man's mental state. "I'd say the girl is probably the least threatening thing in that room though."


"What do you make of the other two?"

Caltha - Bunker
- Luke Jaron -

Rise wiped her eyes and gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, you're pretty bad at it," she said, smiling. "But thanks. Yeah, they have to be okay. I refuse to believe otherwise."

She started to walk once more toward the kitchen.

"I'm sure James is busy. He'll find us when he's ready. In the meantime, let's get the kitchen sorted, okay?"

It would be better to clear her mind with busywork than to focus on the idea of Jax and Lisa out there somewhere, hurt or worse.

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

Peterny - Old Guards Prison
- Alexei -

Alexei watched as Nadenka carefully wrote out her alphabet. It made her eyes soften, her mouth gently curve into a smile as she worked. She was a pretty thing. He'd been with a number of women - all very casual encounters - but there was something different about her.

She passed back the page and pen, and he studied the images carefully. He'd been about to ask about them when Nadenka cleared her throat. She was quite insistent that he understand just what kind of doctor she was.

"Huh, understood."

Alexei grunted and nodded his head. He didn't really understand how anyone could be so selflessly dedicated to others. But if what she said were true, maybe the Old Guard could use her as a doctor. There wouldn't be any need to dispose of her.

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

Caltha - Kaiser's Complex

- Maxim -

Farrington laughed derisively at Alina's first words as she entered the room.

"I don't think niceties were ever high on your list of priorities, Grey," he said. He'd served in Caelum Regius under Commander Chastenay and was only too familiar with the infamous Alina Grey.

Maxim studied Alina Grey in the flesh for the first time. Her aura was even more striking in person. Yes, if anyone was going to be a worthy opponent for him, it would be her.

"One of our security detail - Lieutenant Alderson," Farrington said, indicating Belo. It was a good idea to use a different name, just in case Belo's name had managed to leak. More realistically, though, he probably just didn't remember Belo's name.

"And this is Dr. Maximilian Valery," Farrington said, waving a hand in his direction. "He's one of our chief scientists, personally responsible for High Lady Adalia's physical and genetic testing."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, High General Grey," Maxim said, inclining his head. "I don't expect you'll take High Lady Adalia's parentage on our word, so I've provided our extensive genetic tests for your review."

He slid a folder filed with files for all the testing to prove Ariana Adalia's father was the late High General Arzei Adalia. All cleverly doctored - of course - but it wouldn't matter if they did discover the truth for much longer.

All the while, Maxim's com was recording Alina's voice profile. Even the audio he'd captured since she'd first walked in should be enough, but it wouldn't hurt to capture as much as possible.

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

- Keynes -

Lecarde stood beside Keynes, surveying the scene.

"Olivar Farrington," he murmured. "He was one of Commander Chastenay's."

Keynes seemed to think Ariana Adalia was either really Arzei's daughter, or being used by Chastenay.

"Or both," he murmured,

He studied Ariana, a strange twist in his heart. Even after all that had happened, the name Adalia still entwined itself into his being. The girl certainly had the physical attributes to be Arzei's daughter, but did that mean she was who she said she was? Appearances could be altered. His manner and bearing could be copied.

Would Arzei really have hidden from him the existence of a child? Perhaps he himself had not even known.

Keynes asked him about the other two in the room, and Lecarde was grateful for the distraction.

"I don't know," he said. "The guard doesn't interest me, but the scientist... I wonder who he is? If he was with the Army, perhaps Kokonoe might know of him. Or perhaps not. I seem to recall her not being able to remember any of her own staff's names."

He smiled slightly. If the man was half as smart as Kokonoe, he could be trouble. He seemed very mild and pleasant, however. Of course, Lecarde himself had projected that aura quite convincingly himself some years ago...

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

“Huh?” Lenka looked surprised. This was not the answer she had expected.

“Why?” she asked, wondering why Marcus even admitted to it. He could’ve said anything or nothing, so must be a big deal? At least this distracted her from her previously gloomy thoughts about Jax, Lisa and the whole prisoner fiasco.

Lenka coughed and covered her eyes when a cloud of dust spilled up. “It looks like no one set foot in here for a hundred years,” she commented. “I’m sure it won’t be so bad once we’re done cleaning up,” she added with a bright smile and grabbed the broom once they had cleared all the beds.

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

- James -

Finally the update finished and James began to adjust the settings for the security of the bunker. He didn’t know why Keynes had decided to house them here, so far away from the palace, but he must have had a reason.

When he was satisfied with the setup, he unplugged his tablet. No one at the army communications base should know this bunker had been re-activated, so hopefully they would be left alone.

Slowly he made his way towards the kitchen, the place he most expected to find Rise.

James arrived at the open door and gave the frame a knock to announce his presence.

“How are things going in here?” he asked Rise and Luke. “Is there anything we need to get?”

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Slowly they moved closer to the edge of the hill. Leonora filled him in a low voice. “There are motion sensors at random intervals. Whenever they get triggered, we get a proximity alert,” she whispered. “Usually it’s nothing, but we’re still obligated to check it out.”

Kurik nodded. That made sense.

At the edge of the hill, they laid down and Nick handed him a pair of binoculars. Kurik scanned the area below him. It took him a few seconds, but finally he saw movement on a barely discernible path below.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “It looks like a farmer,” he said and handed the binoculars to Nick, who also took a look. The Private nodded. “False alarm, Leonora,” he said. “Call it in.”

They moved back from the edge and back on their original path.

The rest of the round passed with no more interruptions and shortly after they were back at the entrance where Sergeant Connor and Jonah were waiting. With a nod they went inside and Kurik watched as they locked the door and re-engaged the motion sensors and  alarms.

“On to the next one then,” Connor said cheerfully.

They went through the tunnels to the next entrance. Just like before the tunnel was illuminated with a low light stemming from light bulbs fastened to the ceiling in regular intervals. It reminded Kurik of the mining tunnels in the far east of Kaddath.

“How extensive is the tunnel system?” he asked Connor. “Did you guys build it or was it pre-existent?”

Connor seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before he answered. “Well…there was an existing network of tunnels because they used to mine for gold here, but that was almost 60 years ago. So we renewed it and sealed all tunnels that lead no where or could pose a risk.”

Kurik wasn’t sure, but it seemed like it pained Connor to admit that they might not have a full plan of their tunnel system.

“I see,” Kurik simply said, but he made a mental note to check out the existing plans of the tunnels once they got back. He didn’t doubt the depth of their sweep, but it was better to take a look for himself. After all, he did live in an underground city for two years. That had to count for something.

Connor stopped. Evidently, they had arrived at the next entrance. It was the same procedure. Turn off the alarms and send out a team of two to sweep the area. This time Connor went out himself together with Jonah while Kurik stayed behind with Leonor and Nick.

They sat down within view of the entrance as well as the camera display.

“So what’s the deal with Jonah?” Kurik asked. “I don’t think I have heard him say a single word.”

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

"Good to hear that." Said Luke, giving out relieving smile at Rise as she looked cheered up. "Hopefully I will get better at this as time goes on..." Said Luke little bit of awkward chuckle, and he nodded "Yes, let's." as Rise suggested they should just go to kitchen and sort it out.

As they arrived the kitchen, the place definitely had the eerie look as it had not been used for quite awhile. Luke, without any complaining, started cleaning the place, as Rise might look at the supplies they need.

And speaking of timing, James just arrived and asked about what to get for supplies.

"James!" Said Luke, greeting him warmly, "We just got here and started to sort things out." He said as he continuously working on making the place less dusty, and cleaned up for cook meal.