Volume 3, Chapter 3 – Rekhilon. Delegation on the E-4B.
A week later.
I continued training — now learning fencing and languages. I spent entire days trying to beat Pex with rapiers. I exhausted myself under the desert sun, and before bed, I studied the language until I passed out. Every day I exercised, ran, fought, and didn't give up. The sun had tanned me a little.
My arms were wrapped in bandages. These rapiers are incredibly sharp — to them, the human body is like butter. By the end of the week, I looked like a mummy. My head was a tangled mess of this world's words mixed with my own. When I woke up, I'd spew incomprehensible gibberish in mixed languages.
And the Democracy of Silence was growing.
The YFs worked non-stop, fully believing it was Wisdom — even my denials that this was just quarry work were dismissed.
Huge quarries had already been dug around the Capital, where the Yellows worked constantly with their hands. They loaded trucks, and those drove to K-1-ZZ. Ten quarries had already been developed, and the rapiers also helped Pex's soldiers clear caves around the quarries quickly.
Around the Capital, many roads had been laid from dense earth mixed with Argo-2 (Argo without magical protection) and fused into a solid surface. Military trucks filled with ores drove along them non-stop.
K-1-ZZ was half-completed — the metallurgy section was finished, and now it was constantly being expanded to increase processing capacity. The second part of the complex was still under construction, waiting for a working method to process Argo-2 into oil, and then into fuel.
I was sparring with Pex again with rapiers in the Capital's courtyard, which had already grown to a kilometer in radius, filled with hangars and warehouses.
Evening was falling, making it easier to stay on my feet — but the red burn marks on my back made me wince and try not to stretch my skin.
"Commander," the Strategist called out to me, and Pex stopped abruptly.
I shook Pex's hand and tiredly headed to the two-story underground headquarters.
The ground beneath my feet was filled with Argo-2 mixed with earth and cement, meters deep. All cracks were smoothed out, and there was no longer any worry that the base might collapse into the caves below.
On the first floor of headquarters was the entire CUB staff; on the -1 floor was the briefing room and various documents.
"GOOD EVENING, COMMANDER!" the entire CUB shouted in unison.
"Good evening!" I replied, downing water on my way down to the first basement.
There was only the Analyst, the Strategist, and the Economist. (So it's about diplomacy and expansion?)
I sat down in my usual chair and leaned back out of habit. (It hurt so much — I immediately hunched forward, resting my hands on my knees.)
The briefing room was brightly lit, illuminating maps, document shelves, the briefing area, and a large map of the entire planet.
"I'll start first," the Strategist stepped up to the board, while the others sat drinking tea. "I'm proposing Operation 'Dear Alpha.' According to YF data, it's constantly moving. We need to gather information on its movements and collect skin samples."
"How will that work?" I washed down my question with water.
"Charlie Group, armed with rapiers, will lead the vanguard. The approach will go through the 'Tomahawk' cave. Five cruise missiles will be launched into this cave first, then the group will move in," the Strategist finished the briefing.
"Good. I'm going!" I answered without hesitation.
"Of course. But first, hear the rest," the Strategist agreed and stepped aside.
The Analyst stepped up.
"Greetings. Five states have not recognized our country. The Duchy of Malevych has officially declared war on us. The City-State of Rekhilon has requested a diplomatic meeting on their territory — since ours is lethal to mages," the Analyst explained.
(I see... Five rejections — that's fine. But what did I do to Malevych? I should try to make peace somehow — but in any case, they can't reach us with any army. Only during the day, but they'd have to get past the wall somehow. But diplomacy — that's interesting.)
"Alright, I agree."
The Analyst nodded and went upstairs.
The Economist stepped forward.
"Greetings. As a lover of profit, I can't miss the opportunity to immediately establish a trade route with this state. I propose sending two trucks filled with iron, copper, and silver ingots to the diplomatic meeting. Pros: we could get black soil, saplings, and the city's currency in return."
(That's perfect! I'm all for it! Others will see that we can be worked with, and they'll follow.)
"Good, I agree!" I clapped my hands and leaned back — "Ow!"
"Excellent!" the Economist exclaimed and turned on a TV. "The City-State ranks fourth among major traders in this world, behind only the Duchy of Malevych, the Kingdom of Ruma, and the Empire of Arbakan." The Economist clicked to a slide showing the city's map. "This city is located on another continent and has a huge lake along its walls, also bordering the Empire."
"Okay... But how do we get the trucks there?"
"The trucks are metaphorical," the Strategist began, handing tea to the Economist. "A Chinook will be loaded and sent first to the carrier, then to the edge of another continent, where Pex and Alpha will transfer everything into trucks and deliver them on your orders," the Strategist explained.
(Two operations now... How to choose? I want to go to both. Fine... I said myself that home is good, but you can't stay home your whole life. And Operation 'Dear Alpha' will only use Charlie without equipment — and the faceless ones regenerate. At worst, we lose some rapiers — better than losing officers.)
"Alright... I'll go on the diplomatic mission. Charlie can work."
"Yes, sir!" the Strategist and Economist saluted.
"Good..."
"But. I must warn you. We will be leaving the Silent Silence. That means we'll encounter mages again. Your bodyguards will be Paladin and Aviana. Everyone will be equipped with rapiers and issued pistols with MOU magazines (Magical Depleted Uranium)," the Strategist announced, pulling six MOU magazines from a box.
(Aviana... Memories of her in the armored vehicle flooded back... How...)
"Don't," Aviana said coldly.
(Where did she appear from...)
"From the pocket," she answered just as coldly and took the magazines from the Strategist.
(Wow... Aviana was dressed in a white business jacket, a knee-length white skirt with a red hem. High heels. A high ponytail, with her hair flowing down her back.)
"Yo!" Paladin burst in with the stomp of a rhino, and everything shook.
Paladin looked... like a security goon. A black business suit on his frame looked terrifying — simply because you feared the buttons wouldn't hold and would fly off. He was in all black, with sunglasses.
"Hey. You look great!"
"Yeah! This giant barely fit into that!" Lelik jumped over the railing and descended to our floor.
He was in a disco-ball suit with star-shaped glasses.
"You're not coming with us, are you?" Paladin objected, taking tea from the Strategist.
"Guys. I'm driving you. The Boeing is mine. And you don't have a license! So I have to. To look..." — Lelik jumped on the table and turned off the lights — "SHI!" (raised a flashlight up) "KA!" (pointed it at us) "RNO!" (pointed it at himself) — Lelik started moonwalking, having produced a hat from somewhere.
(Haha! Hilarious! I love it. But... I need to get dressed — I'm all in pants and bandages.)
"And I'll ge..."
"Here," Aviana coldly handed me a suit.
"Thanks. And how's the carri..."
"It'll live."
"And the fight..."
"They'll live."
"Silence!" the Strategist raised his voice and turned on the lights. Lelik froze in a strange pose on the table, one hand holding an invisible microphone, the other holding his hat.
"Operation 'Word of Democracy' and 'Dear Alpha' are now underway. Everyone, please move out," the Strategist finished, starting to usher us out and handing me two MOU magazines.
—
—
The Boeing was in the air.
(And what kind of suit is this? Black jacket and pants, white trim, and a red shirt. I look unnatural in this.)
I stood in front of the mirror, turning and examining myself from all angles while the plane flew above the clouds.
Aviana sat calmly in her seat the whole time, gazing at the sky. Paladin kept shifting, trying to adjust every piece of his clothing and get into the bodyguard role — trying to keep his hands clasped in front of him, even tucking a pistol into his belt behind his back. Everyone had a fabric-wrapped rapier hanging from their pants — which would instantly bare when drawn, like a pin.
"Why this particular outfit?" I turned to Aviana and Paladin.
Aviana sighed.
"These are the colors of your state," she answered without interest.
Lelik bounced over to me while I was thinking, looking between Aviana and Paladin.
"Bro. I spent the whole day and night repainting the Boeing. Now it says 'DEMOCRACY OF SILENCE' with our flag."
I looked at him in surprise. (Lelik spent a whole day in the desert repainting a Boeing that no one would even see — not even me. He's great.)
I smiled.
"Awesome!"
And we spent the rest of the flight in a rather strange rhythm. Everyone spent their time differently.
Aviana didn't move from her spot, watching the sky the whole time, occasionally crossing her legs.
But the three of us...
—
"Pass!" I shouted, jumping onto a chair and catching a pass from Lelik through Paladin.
I jumped into the center and started running with the ball toward the tail.
(The main thing is to make it. But with every meter, the footsteps got heavier, and I felt like a kid caught in the path of a rhino.)
"TA!" I fell to the floor in the tail. "DOWN!"
But that didn't save me from the rhino's momentum.
"OW!"
And Lelik winced, covering his eyes and peeking as we crashed into the tail.
—
"Gentlemen. Lelik chose the weapon. Please take them and stand ten meters apart," Paladin lifted a lid, revealing two water bottles with holes in the lids.
We lined up with Lelik.
Nod.
Nod.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Step.
"Seraphim fires first," Paladin said and stepped out of the firing zone.
I turned and aimed the bottle at Lelik. And to the right, in the middle, sat Aviana.
(The main thing is not to hit her...)
Our eyes met. We stared at each other, bottles at waist level, slowly dripping water onto the carpet.
I slowly raised the bottle and grabbed it with both hands, closing my right eye. Slowly turned it slightly to the left — ready to fire.
I took a deep breath and squeezed the bottle with both hands.
Pewwwwwwwwwww-splat
"Sor..."
"Not a word."
"Come on!" Lelik protested and splashed water on Aviana, who was already soaked.
Aviana slowly stood up, and a moment later, she was holding Lelik by the scruff of his neck at the open door.
"Wait!" I ran over, completely forgetting that Lelik was essentially aviation and would be fine.
Poof — and Lelik was out the door.
"Come on!" Lelik protested, sitting back in his chair and sipping champagne.
Aviana didn't react and sat back down, starting to dry her hair.
"By the way," Paladin began, pulling out a SIG SAUER P320-XTEN, "we have ninety rounds against mages. I wonder how many mages we'll meet?"
We looked at him, trying to figure out how he connected our antics with ammunition — then Lelik and I realized. We were shooting from bottles.
"Ohhh," Lelik and I said in unison.
I pulled out my P320-XTEN and looked at it. (Not long ago, I was afraid to even hold it — now I casually pull it from my pants and look at it. Running around a doomsday plane over a medieval planet. Even my back stopped hurting from all the activity — though now, along with the memory of my first shot, the burn pain on my back returned.)
Heh!
I put the pistol back, adjusting my shirt on my back.
"Even if we meet them — the main thing is not to shoot. We're Democracy after all."
Paladin and Lelik nodded, and Aviana continued drying her hair.
I watched Aviana. How she deftly dried her hair and looked like an ordinary girl — you wouldn't say she was cold and silent. They all act like people, and I don't consider them functions. How could a function be someone who just sprayed a girl with a holed bottle, or someone who dries her hair while looking out a porthole, or someone trying to play the bodyguard while his suit clearly reminded him he's an AFV officer?
I went and lay down on the bed, on my stomach. (Good... It's so unusual to fly in the sky and lie in bed.)
I need to update my list.
— Get into sports. (In progress)
— Buy or build my own house. (Completed)
— Start some kind of business.
— Find a partner.
— Plant a tree.
— Learn a new craft.
— (NEW) Ride a horse.
From this world:
— Learn the language. (In progress)
— Become independent and not rely on the officers. (In progress)
— Become proficient with weapons. (In progress)
— See the wall of the Silent Silence. (Completed)
— (NEW) Master fencing at an excellent level. (In progress)
— (NEW) Alliance/Trade Union with the City-State of Rekhilon.