Alpha's Faire

XXIV

She felt his eyes pierce across the room. They trailed up and down her figure, lingering on her assets. That damn louse. Jexanna gritted her teeth as she glanced back to those lilac eyes. Didn't Shou just give him an in-depth discussion, detailing the need to hurry his sorry ass, moments ago? Jexanna sighed as he entered the bay with his hands dancing in the air.

"Did someone request a portal mage?" Lieutenant Garine called out with a smirk on his lips as he swayed his hips. He strutted in front of the entrance of the cargo bay with a mammoth-sized ego. Jexanna resisted the urge to throw him off the side of the planet. The nerve of him, behaving as if he weren't the one who held everything up.

"You're late, Lieutenant." Captain Young spoke behind Garine's back at the door. Garine's body twitched in fear at the sound. Jexanna smirked as he twisted his body nervously at Captain Young. "According to my schedule, the transportation of supplies should have already been underway by now." Young crossed his arms, waiting for a response from the faire.

Jexanna had sparred several times with Garine before, even after beating him repeatedly into the ground. He never lost the color in his face. There was a first for everything.

"Captain Young!" Garine squeaked, jumping into a salute.  "I was delayed by a conference with my commander." He replied nervously.
Captain Young just stared simply at him, dark green eyes cool as jade.

"That's still not an excuse. You will arrive on time. Otherwise, we will find another mage, and you will find yourself with several demerits." Young replied with narrowed eyes. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Garine replied, frozen in his position. Young stared him down.

"Lieutenant?" He rose a brow.

"Yes, Captain?" Garine squeaked.

"Go open a portal, now."

"Of course! Right away!" Garine raced away from the doorframe and quickly took his place on the balcony. The FLA's cargo bays were equipped with a balcony for portal mages to stand on. This platform enabled them to connect with dimensional space without worrying about being crowded. The stronger the connection, the longer and larger a portal could become. It enabled a stronger focus more than anything.  A mage's focus was key when creating a portal and maintaining it. Emotions and distractions could lead to deadly results very quickly if a mage was inexperienced. Garine, who was still training, would require the platform to separate himself from the rest of the team.

Garine took his place on the balcony's center and waited for a signal to begin from Captain Young who placed his hand up.

"Everyone!" His voice carried from the doorframe. It echoed across the bay and immediately silenced the room. "This is the first step in our partnership. I'm not one for sappy speeches. But I won't lie when I say it's a step forward on our journey. We're trying to accomplish something that isn't easy, but I don't expect anything less than your absolute best. And by your best, I mean doing your job perfectly. If you can't do that, then get out." Young spoke evenly as his green eyes narrowed across the room. He was never one to mince around. That was what made him so efficient and effective, even as a human.  "Now is not the time to give us bullshit. That is not what these victims deserve. So I'm allowing anyone to leave right now if they are not dedicated to saving these people."

The silence that fell was so heavy that it almost felt deafening. Jexanna's skin grew chills as she glanced around the room. No one dared to move towards the door, even Hamma remained in place. Jexanna wasn't sure if it was because everyone was ready to do what it took to save lives or if they were terrified of the Alpha in the corner. Alpha Raphael Stone appeared to be relaxed against the wall. But Jexanna could sense the aura he emitted—cold and calculating. It was apparent that anyone who tried to leave would have to deal with him and the werewolf community. Considering Alpha Stone's status as the leader of Whitehaven, any retribution would result in being blacklisted in the medical community. Whitehaven did control the market on medicinal herbs after all. If someone wanted to go far in the field, they needed a strong relationship with Whitehaven.

"Great. Now, Lieutenant." Young broke the silence and turned to Garine who nodded in response. He closed his eyes and breathed in. Jexanna watched his fingertips glow with a faint green light. Garine clapped his hands together by his chest and inhaled once more. He exhaled and opened his eyes to reveal them glowing a similar shade of green. His hands moved above his head slowly as a gust of wind blew through the bay. A ring of green light opened at the rear wall as his hands separated. The image of white buildings came into view. The compound consisted of four buildings, two apartment dorms, a medical center, and a schoolhouse that also doubled as the main office. Jexanna breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes set sight on the schoolhouse's glass exterior. He did it.

"Alright people, we're already behind on schedule. Medical Teams, I want you to go through first, now. Captain Shou will lead you to the Medical Center. You need to set up immediately in your assigned areas." Jexanna shouted, grabbing the medical team members' attention. There were four medical teams involved, supply, research, treatment, and triage. The Treatment and Triage teams were tasked with setting up the patient and operating rooms. The Supply and Research teams were in charge of setting up the medicinal supplies and onsite laboratories. With over 20 people, they made up half the task force. Shou immediately stepped in front of the portal and placed a hand through before pulling it back in. The portal was safe.

"Medical Teams, please follow through now." He stepped in. The medical teams and their supplies all followed. Most task force members were fae, allowing them to transport large cargo with magic with ease through the portal.
She watched Yvette lead her team, the treatment team, into the portal. Triage was lead by Dr. Thompson, leaving Hamma in charge of the research team. Alpha Stone's team was the last to leave. They had the highest amount of cargo after all. There were five large palettes of medicine, linens, and any other medical supply needed.

He allowed the entire team to go through first, standing guard by the portal's entrance. Jexanna watched his silver eyes move from the entrance to meet her azure orbs. His hair danced with the breeze from the gateway as his eyes narrowed at her. Flashes of green danced in his irises as he stared at her for a moment.

What was he waiting for?

"Good luck, Alpha Stone." She called out to him and he nodded before going inside the portal. Jexanna's back shivered as she watched his figure retreat into the portal. Was how the rest of the mission was going to be?

"Now, Hazmat, Maintenance, and Hospitality— you will follow me to the apartment dormitories," Jexanna called out the remaining teams who stood by, ready to go. She breathed in, clearing her mind. Jexanna took a step forward towards the portal and turned to the teams.

"We will head towards to the Rhodes House first. Follow the signs if you get lost." She stated before stepping back into the portal. This was it. Her heart raced. The mission officially was going to start now.