[Area Zero, 0725 Hours]

“You’ll join us later?” Jackie asks as we reach a junction that leads to our separate destinations.

“If I have time, yeah.” I reply.

Jackie and Romero give me a nod which I return before they turn to walk towards the path leading to the gym. I turn as well, but at the opposite direction towards the command center.

We left Chappy and Hobo to the doctor when she requested for help in talking to Eletha, the native ‘elf’ girl. Chappy stayed behind since he’s the only one able to invoke effective communication with the native, while Hobo wanted to learn what he can. I would’ve rather us all stay, but the doctor warned that our presence might intimidate the native from opening up.

Also, the Major wanted to see me.

I pass by some soldiers and return the greetings and salutes they give me as I walk past. Reaching my destination, I took note of the newly installed ID scanner on the door and push mine against it. The scanner beeped and clicked, signalling that it has been unlocked. I push the door open and step inside.

The command center’s usual atmosphere of moderate urgency greetse as the door closes shut. I look around, spotting the Major with the Lieutenant-Colonel and a few others at the farthest end of the modular. I start to make my way there, some of the command center’s staff greeted me as I do so. I return the salutations till I reach the table where the Major and the others- who turn out to be the Captains of all the other Delta companies- are seated around.

The Major notices me and nods. “Hoyer’s here.” He announces.

The Lieutenant-Colonel looks up to me and then gestures to an empty seat. They wait for me as I make my way towards the chair and sat down.

The Lieutenant-Colonel folds his arms together and speaks. “Everybody’s here? Good. Let’s get started.” He then nods at an officer whom I don’t recognize.

The officer has a small stack of papers to his side. At the Lieutenant-Colonel’s signal, he picks up a piece of paper and looks it over before he starts. “During yesterday’s incident at settlement one we experienced a disruption of our long-range communication devices. For the last few hours we’ve been trying to discern the cause of the problem and have finally come to a conclusion.”

As the officer sets aside his current piece and lifts a bunch of clipped-together papers from the stack and starts to hand it to us, the Lieutenant-Colonel speaks in a low tone. “The information you’re about to receive is classified for the time being. None of you will speak about this, the potential risks if this information is leaked may halt all our current progress. I’m sure you’ve all been resourceful and heard about atmospherics messing with our systems- that’s the cover story.”

My brows furrow together as I remember the pilot’s remark about the problem. But my thoughts are moved somewhere else as the officer to my side hands me one of the clipped-together papers. I mutter a thanks upon receiving it and began studying its contents, it only took a moment to recognize what it is.

“What you’re seeing right now is a timeline comparison of the settlement one incident and the communications issue.” The officer speaks as he sat back down. “As you can see, there are glaring coincidences in the events. One in particular is at eighteen-four-eight hours, please move your attention there, where the problems with the communications start to arise.”

My eyes trace across the horizontal bar listing the time, glancing occasionally on both of its sides where events and details jut out with a vertical line. Under the timeline are elaborations of events neatly arranged chronologically, I internally approve of the simple and comprehensible layout before returning my focus to the speaker.

“We started having problems not soon after the attack went underway. We scrambled technicians, checked on Area Zero’s infrastructure, checked on the relays we can reach and all that we found is conformation that something is interfering with our equipment but not what is interfering with our equipment.”

The officer looks at the Lieutenant-Colonel, who then speaks.

“It was not until the science departments alerted me about their EMF detectors giving off a sudden increase in readings that we started to connect the dots. Reports from the post-evacuation survey of settlement one all confirmed our suspicions.”

My mind connect the facts laid out and I couldn’t help but feel a pinch of dread as I flip to the next piece of paper.

The Lieutenant-Colonel turns towards me. “Hoyer, that large tree-building where that local that tried to shoot down one of our birds came out of was giving off a lot of EM radiation.”

The graph on the next side of paper shows a laser-printed graph of readings from EMF detectors. The build-up and sudden increase of EM signature lines up perfectly with the attack on the village and the start of the communications problem.

“Gentlemen, whatever fuckery the natives have has proven to be able to interfere with our equipment.”

By far. I mentally add. If they can jam our communications, what else could they possibly do?

My thought wasn’t unique as everyone else but the Lieutenant-Colonel and the officer were visibly unsettled, I myself couldn’t help but begin to apprehend the many possibilities.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Major deep in thought. He eventually looks to the Lieutenant-Colonel and asks: “Sir, then why did you order us to pack up everything and leave settlement one?”

That brought everyone’s attention, including mine, towards the Lieutenant-Colonel who just nods.

“That is the other reason why I called you all here.” He says and then reaches out towards the last pieces of the pile and distributes it across the table. I lean over, keen on seeing the contents, and see the familiar characteristics of IR imagery from UAV mounted cameras.

“When we’ve established a foothold on settlement one and deployed additional drones to keep a lookout, we spotted a group numbering at least two hundred making their way towards the settlement. And as of zero-seven-hundred hours, they are observed to be thirty kilometres away.” The Lieutenant-Colonel then points at another picture. “Another thing, is that we think we’ve found out where the ones who attacked the settlement are encamped. Some fifteen kilometres south east of the settlement, near a river.

The Major comprehends what is being asked of us and speaks up. “You want us to reconnoitre these two elements?”

The Lieutenant-Colonel nods. “Yes. Though specifically, I want some of you to snatch a few personnel and any people of interest from the camp, while the rest observes the other group that is moving towards the settlement to report on their activities.”

It’s not kidnapping, it’s acquisition.

It’s not stalking, it’s observation.

I nod. All these tasks are well within our job description. All of our earlier worries are forgotten as we realize our possible tasks and analyze the intel on the table.

“One last thing before I dismiss you all.” The Lieutenant-Colonel speaks and we return our attention to him. “The armory is now properly stocked with the things you’ll need and won’t need. Major, I trust you’ll be on top of organizing this?”

The Major nods. “Yes sir.”

“Good. I’ll dispatch a hard copy of all the intel to your office later.” The Lieutenant-Colonel stands up and gives us a salute. “Dismissed.”

---

[Bandit Encampment, Near the Tolipo River, 0915 Hours]

I grunt while balancing the bundle of supplies on my shoulder, the constant exertion for the past two hours causing me to sweat despite the gentle morning sun. Carrying the load to the nearby wagon, I set it down with a huff.

“Did Aciz’s party really get themselves mauled?”

I overhear a merc speak and I shift my attention to the conversation that he and another merc is having.

“I’m telling you, I was on watch duty when they left with around three hundred bodies or so. But when they came back last night? By the gods, there was less than sixty of them!”

Looking back, I remember that I also saw that group arrive into camp as well. Though, at that time, I didn’t know exactly whose group it was until hearing rumours that Aciz was dead. No sooner than the word got out, the other lieutenants had already started to fight each other over the dead man’s scraps.

“Dammit! We spent more than a month trekking through the forest and avoiding rangers! I thought the elves didn’t put that much guard so far behind their borders?”

“Them accursed mages man, they were talking about fighting mages in some elven village and that it was them that took down Aciz.”

So this is what got the captain spooked. I frown just as someone grabs me by my shoulder and forces me to turn around.

My sight is greeted by Utr, the Quartermaster. “Lari you bitch! Quit listening to gossip and make yourself useful!” He barks, causing me to involuntarily go stiff as the man’s spit lands across my face.

“Y-yes!” I manage to stutter out. I try to move back to the stockpile but a hand stops me.

I turn to see Utr crossing his arms as he looks me over. “You’ve been here for only an hour yet you look worse than someone forced to run an eyre!” He shakes his head. “Deadweight. Go find that good-for-nothing lover of yours and bring him to me- he’s been taking a shit in the woods for half an hour already!” He was about to turn around when a malicious smile spreads across his face. “Then go tell Ridi that you volunteer to help with covering the shitpit.”

I’ve been here for two hours, he’s not my lover, and that’s not volunteering.

I did not hide my contempt in my expression as I look at Utr, but as much as I wanted to lash out at the Quartermaster, the thought of the consequences if I do so is enough to keep my mouth shut. Without replying, I turn towards the forest while the Quartermaster resumes to ‘encourage’ the others who were lifting supplies with me.

“I get to take a walk at least.” I mutter as I pass the sentries guarding the perimeter who let their stares linger.

Making my way and reaching the forest away from the camp, I pull out my sword and start to look around the bushes and trees for that one particular redhead.

“Orta!” I shout. “Where in a dwarves’ greasy ass did you stuff yourself into?!”

Fallen leaves on the forest floor gets crushed under my boots as I continue the search. I wander the area, combing through the shrubs and looking around trees for a trace of my redhead friend.

Why did this bastard need to shit somewhere so hard to find?

“Orta, the Quartermaster isn’t a happy man right now!” I try to use his fear of the man to garner a response.

Silence.

I groaned, frustrated. I was about to stomp off when something shone from under the shrubs and caught my eye. Curious, I cautiously make my way towards where the thing is- barely seeing it under the shrubs- and then knelt down to pick it up.

The first thing I noticed is that the thing is warm, the sensation making me instinctively pull my hand back before realizing its only warm and reached out for it again. Then, I see that it is an oddly shaped cylinder made of metal that is either gold or something that shines like it.

“What a curious little trinket…” I mutter as I spin the object between my fingers.

Suddenly, a hand clamps down on my mouth. My eyes widened and I tried to shout, but a blade suddenly made itself felt on my throat. I didn’t even get to whimper as a sharp pain suddenly erupted and I felt all my senses numbing. My vision failing, I barely register me getting dragged into the shrubbery and being set down beside a familiar redhead.

Orta? I mentally ask.

And then, there was darkness.

---

[Forest Near the Tolipo River, 0938 Hours]

I watch as Mace lets go of the dead body next to the one we took care of earlier. The first one just having to choose the bush where Mace was laying prone to take a dump in, while the second one probably went looking for the first, if her shouting was anything to go by.

“Moss, put these two below that tree we saw earlier. Dash, go with him.” I order my medic and second in command, who both respond with affirmatives and moved to carry out my orders.

Mace taps my shoulder. “Hey, Anderson.”

I turn towards him. “Yeah?”

“That’s the second one already, should we move?”

I click my tongue and reach into my chest rig, taking a while before pulling out a colorized picture of the area filled with annotations about many points of interest. I scan the picture and read a few lines of text before finding one spot noted to have few patrols.

“Here.” I tilt the picture so that we can both see and point at the spot in the map. “We’ll wait for Moss and Dash and then move out.” I then look up the trees and towards our marksman, who I then see sitting on a branch and looking through his scope.

I reach for my radio. “Monk, get down from there, we’re moving.”

He looks up from his scope. “Wilco.”

I fold the map and put it back in one of my pockets. Beside me, Mace checks his rifle in one last time.

“So.” Mace starts. “When are we going to go in?” The question ends with the sound of his rifle being charged.

Reach up to my baklava and pull it down. “Tonight.”