02 DEC 33AE, 0415 MT
Yellowstone Camp, Briefing Tent A
It took a lot of effort for Camilla to ignore the anticipation in the air, and even then, she wasn't sure if the emotion she felt was her own or if it was mostly from the other captains in the briefing tent. But honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if both of her guesses were correct. After all, there was only one reason that there would be nearly three dozen squad captains and six base chiefs all crammed into one small area: something big was about to happen.
While Camilla's squad had arrived at the camp several days ago, others had arrived weeks before while most only touched down within the past forty-eight hours. Regardless, they all had one thing in common: no one had any idea why they were there.
Given the circumstances, they could at least assume that they would have to fight someone at some point, but that was the extent of their knowledge. Even the chiefs and the most senior captains, who sat around the center table of the briefing tent, emitted an air of uncertainty, as much as they tried to pretend otherwise.
The nervous chatter hushed immediately once Senior Chief Ali entered the room, closely followed by her brother and two of her messengers dressed in royal blue, and everyone in the room stood at attention.
"At ease," Senior said as she glided her wheelchair into the tent.
Those at the table waited until she positioned herself at the head of the table before returning to their seats. Everyone else without seats, Camilla included, remained standing along the edge of the tent.
"Thank you all for gathering today, some of you on extremely short notice," Senior began. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're all here, and I hope you can understand our reason for increased OPSEC these days.
"As most of you are aware, we had reasons to believe Exodos was intercepting our transmissions, in addition to using civilian communication lines, to gather pieces of information and anticipate our next moves. But since we've enforced a complete physical and electrical civilian lockdown and limited our own communications to secure lines or face-to-face, we've finally been able to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, we still don't know how Exodos had the capability to access all that information in the first place, but we have teams investigating as we speak.
"In any case, why we're here today," she continued.
She pushed a button at the edge of the table, and a satellite image of a mountain surrounded by a thick forest appeared at the center of the tabletop. A second later, the image expanded into a three-dimensional projection. While the forest would probably have hidden the small mountain in real life, the render left the trees mostly transparent.
"A few weeks ago, we detected abnormal energy surges from this area," Senior explained. "Upon further inspection, our scouts reported a large number of Exodos members moving in and out of a small cave at the base of this mountain. They couldn't detect what was inside or beneath the mountain either, leading us to believe that this is a key base of operations for Exodos with a unique type of defensive structure. And our mission is to take it from them."
A few of the captains standing next to Camilla shifted restlessly, as if they were already raring to go. Apparently, having an actual goal made them eager to get back to work.
"Now, for your assignments."
Senior turned to her side to face her brother, taking the tablet he handed her. She went through the list of captains, reciting where their squad would be stationed and what their assignments would be. Camilla wasn't very familiar with the other squads, but based on what she did know, their assignments were meant to align well with their strengths.
Squads were assigned to one of four teams. Team One would consist of squads who excelled in short and mid-range combat, and they would be in the midst of the battle. Team Two was made of squads better at long-range combat, and they would assist Team One from the perimeter of the battle as needed. Team Three was primarily on defense and crowd control, and they were tasked to protect the camp and to ensure hostiles didn't slip away during the fighting. Lastly, there was Team Zero, a diverse mixture of squads that would infiltrate the base.
But even after Senior went through all the teams, Camilla's squad still hadn't been assigned to anything.
"And now for specialty squads," Senior continued, right on cue. "The following squads will have assignments not within the realm of, or not restricted to the responsibilities of any one team." She glanced down at the tablet, and when she looked back up, her eyes immediately met Camilla's. "Captain Wyatt."
"Wyatt," Camilla answered, ignoring the stares directed at her.
"We believe Exodos is shielding their base from us by using alternating layers of solids, liquids, and gases," Senior explained. "While we could dismantle their base layer by layer, the process would take too long and rob us of our element of surprise. As the only guardian able to control three states of matter, you'll be in charge of flushing the base out directly from their main structure, then identifying the layout of the base with Team Zero. The rest of your squad will support you as you see fit."
"Yes, ma'am," Camilla acknowledged, trying to hide her embarrassment from being singled out.
After giving out assignments to the remaining squads, Senior set the tablet down and swept the room with her unwavering gaze.
"As much as we hope this battle will be resolved quickly and quietly, if this is one of their primary bases it's likely that the fight will be drawn out," she admitted. "If need be, we'll implement a rotation to give chances to rest, but don't count on that for a break. Strike hard and fast, but also intelligently, and don't waste your energy for meaningless pursuits.
"Squads are to report to center field at 0400 tomorrow. Before then, brief your squads and prepare for battle. With whatever time you have left, get to know your fellow squads so that when the battle starts, you are better prepared to help each other out.
"Now..." Senior glanced over them all again. "Are there any questions?"
"Senior Chief," one captain raised a hand. "Are we continuing to abide by section two, paragraph one of the Guardian Ethics and Code of Conduct manual, in regards to Exodos hostiles?"
Some of the captains around her froze in horror while others nodded in silent agreement. The division was expected though, since that paragraph forbade guardians from taking energy from other humans, unless under certain circumstances and as long as the donor met the criteria for consent. And in this case, the guardians were split on whether it was ethical to take energy from their enemies or not.
Until recently, the Org had been abundantly clear on their stance: under no circumstances should a guardian absorb energy from another person, regardless of who they were. But times were changing, and while Camilla was certain on where she stood, she knew many of her colleagues no longer saw Exodos as humans worthy of mercy.
Senior's gaze dropped to the table, evaluating the reaction of her chiefs and senior captains that sat around it. After seeing primarily head-shaking from them and sparing a moment to consider it for herself, she nodded.
"No," she said firmly. "I authorize the temporary violation of section two, paragraph one of the Guardian Ethics and Code of Conduct manual in regards to Exodos hostiles, effective immediately."
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