Chapter 86: Sayonara Heather Base
"Humans are born the same, from a loving tomb of a mother. The way they are raised is what makes them different."
-General Galliard comments on the other Generals.
After the party and the celebration of both our promotion and Natalie's birthday, we were deployed to the academy. The base gave me an armored Jeep Grand Cherokee for the mean of transport.
As usual, we are in our service uniform, which was the CADPAT camo. Although we only wore a cap and had an FNC on our hip.
"Leaving so soon, Lieutenant?" My former commanding officer asked me.
"I have to," I said as Charlotte and Natalie put a large, heavy bag on the trunk.
The whole platoon formed a row and did a salute as a goodbye. We shook their hands and continued to load out cargo to the car while the others continued their duty.
I picked up a massive box with some canister on it and put it into the car.
"What's that?" Charlotte asked me.
"A Carl Gustav M4," I answered as I slid the container to the trunk.
"Everything loaded, sir?" Charlotte asked me.
"Everything is loaded up," I replied.
I opened the right front door of the car and sat there since Charlotte was the one that drove the car, I could relax.
"Hmm, how far is the journey, sir?" Natalie asked me from the backseat as the wheel of the car started rolling.
"Let's see. 500 kilometer," I said as I turned the air conditioner on.
"Well, minus 100 km since the highway distance doesn't count and add an extra 120 km for the road since the 500 km is measured from a Blackhawk helicopter," Natalie added from the back seat.
"So, you told me to drive for more than six hundred kilos?" She said as she turned the car to a ramp heading for the B3.
"Yup," I turned on the radio in the car.
'Ok, Back with Sergeant Brenner here on 103.5 Heathen FM. Now the next song is a request from one of our pilots here, Lieutenant Colonel Balandin. "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty, Have a safe flight, Colonel.'
We continued to ride the car until we got to the highway, and Charlotte pressed the pedal to the metal. The car's engine revved up and reached a speed of 210 km/h.
The highway was surrounded by a small barrier, and around it was either grassland or forest. The road was relatively safe since they were many rest area aka some small outpost on the hundred kilometers long highway.
"What did sir bring on the back?" Charlotte asked me.
"You know, the usual, spare parts, clothes, weapons, and ammo," I said to her and handed down the list to her.
"I think sir can give that list after I finish driving on this highway, I don't think the combination of 210km/h and reading a paper is a good idea," she said as she overtook one of the big trailers that were carrying an MBT to the Flameguard AFB.
"Ok, Sergeant Gallagher, do you bring the box that our former XO gave?" I asked her.
"That box? Nah, the real deal is a briefcase that contains a lot of documents in a water-resistant case and a Dell Rugged series laptop that contains the procedure and tools to launch an ICBM," she replied while showing a huge looking laptop bag.
"Ah, I see. So you are going to obliterate the Tanerian empire then?" I asked her.
"Nope, General Galliard gave the note that contains that I shouldn't use the ICBM unless it's very urgent and demanding, besides since I got this rank, he hasn't fulfilled his promise," she said.
"And what is that?" I asked her.
"Taking back the Alrgary kingdom from Ealisphate and Tanerian hands," she said ambitiously while caressing the briefcase that contains the ICBM launch procedure.
"Haha, Nice one, we are on war after all," I replied.
We continued the ride while Charlotte still behind the steering wheel. Honestly, if this kind of thing didn't happen, I would be the one that is behind the steering wheel, even a carriage and not a car. My master becomes my subordinate is an excellent thing, after all.
I opened a file that contains the mission briefing and read it. The presentation includes every detail that I need for this mission and some of the what-to-do-list for my team and me. I read it and divided it into some small points, which are these:
- I will join General Galliard team in the Soniel Kingdom army, General Alexson's father has arranged everything for us.
-Staff Sergeant Natalie Gallagher will enter the academy under a new name of Lyra Cunningham, our job is to help her to succeed in taking back the Algary kingdom from Tanerian and Ealisphate hands.
-Maintain the balance of power in the school and acts as an ear of the Generals.
-Helping General Alexson in the ensuing power struggle.
-Participating in Nuptia Nightmare Operation.
-Keep the relationship between both of you like before Operation Servum Liberantum
Hmm, it seems to be a holiday operation for me considering the amount of hard op that we get as a Contritio. It looks like the General has a plan for me in the future or something.
Two hours later
"So how far have we traverse?" I asked Charlotte.
"Hmm, about three small towns and five villages," She answered.
"So about, a hundred and sixty kilometers?" Natalie added.
"Excuse me, but I have to make a phone call with General Galliard," I said as I grabbed a smartphone from my pocket.
"Sure," Charlotte said while I pushed the contact info of General galliard while the car turned into a small dirt road in the forest. Natalie was holding her FNC on the back and smoke a cigar like a merc.
Wilson: "Good Morning, Who is this?"
Andrew: "Good Morning, sir, this is Second Liteunant Andrew Collins."
Wilson: "Ok, Could you speak regularly?"
Andrew: "What do you mean, sir?"
Wilson: "Speak, as usual, Andrew."
Andrew: "I understood, sir."
Wilson: "Call me, Wilson, please."
Andrew: "Ok, so Wilson, Why did you tell me to return to academy although you are the one that "Invite" me to your army? And why did you bring Natalie too?"
Wilson: "Good question, First, I think you want to meet some of your friends before they die in the war. Second, don't you want to enjoy your teenage? Third, I need three more people to form a group in the army training that we do every afternoon."
Andrew: "Are General Alexson, Gabrilvitch, and Nikitovich is enough for the group?"
Wilson: "Well, actually, I need seven-person to form a new group, so we were separated and joined the other groups, and I could tell you that they're oftentimes less competent than the ordinary grunts that you see in Heather."
Andrew: "Yeah, I see."
Wilson: "Do you want to know what they do?"
Andrew: "Sure."
Wilson: "So for my group first, you know that forest near Costellia, right?"
Andrew: "Yeah, I know that. What does it have to do with your group?"
Wilson: "So there was this group of goblins, with such a cocky attitude they just charged straight in front of the goblins. They said it was an honorable act to charge an enemy upfront, so I joined them forcefully. They didn't realize that the goblins also wins their sheer number, and they also a smart one too. Do you believe that one of them just fight them with their own hands."
Andrew: "So what makes you so worried that you have to switch team?"
Wilson: "One of them is wearing a shining armor that was very attracting for both us and the monster. That's a problem, but I ignore it until he said that with his armor, he can withstand any attack. He continued that attitude until one of the arrows of the goblins pierce it. Oooh boy, he was a liability, luckily Zara and I patched his wound ASAP. From my own diagnose, the wound is fatal enough to kill him."
Andrew: "How is the scale of fatal?"
Wilson: "An arrow that pierced his stomach."
Andrew: "Well, that's must be a slow and painful death. Did he survive?"
Wilson: "Yes, he is. I wish he just listens not to tank the whole arrow attack by himself."
Andrew: "Haha, the Contritio armor surely could withstand that, though."
Wilson: "That's for a different case, Andrew. That armor is too strong."
Andrew: "Haha, yes. Wilson, do you use your tank?"
Wilson: "Well, there was one circumstance that we need the tank, it was when one of our friends got kidnapped by a bandit. Though the case is far less complicated than Natalie's, so we just rode our tank and had some target practice."
Andrew: "Haha, that bandit must feel the fear."
Wilson: "Sure, when will you arrive here?"
Andrew: "Hmm, about a day, maybe."
Wilson: "See you tomorrow, then."
Andrew: "See you, General."
I turned off the phone and put it back in my pocket. Natalie looked at me with a curious look on her face. She asked me, "What did General Galliard say?"
"Let me see, Well, just read the file, he said everything that this file says," I said and handed her a file.
In the forest, the road was far worse than the main road, and there were a lot of mud pools and big boulders. Though our car could manage that easily since the offroad capabilities of the vehicle are outstanding.
"Remind me, why do we have to take this road?" She asked as we crossed a shallow river with our car.
"Well, there is Tanerian army in the village in front of us, so we can't get past it, and we must avoid contact with Tanerian," I said as the car moved between the trees of the forest.
"I hope there won't be any trouble upfront," she said as she hit the pedal in order to traverse an obstacle in front of us.
"I hope so," We continued to drive in the forest.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone