AvP:DOOMSDAY

The Leaders

The room was silent for a few minutes, the tension palpable as the men stared at Luna, their expressions a mix of curiosity and suspicion. She felt their eyes boring into her, as if she were an intruder. She straightened her posture, refusing to be intimidated.

Finally, General Cassy broke the silence. "Let's begin with introductions," he said, his voice firm. He gestured to the tall Italian man who had taken his seat again. "This is Major Fabiano Ragno."

Fabiano nodded curtly, his sharp gaze assessing her. His presence exuded authority and a hint of impatience. General Cassy then pointed to the broad, gruff man with the bulletproof vest. "And this is Dimitry Arte."

Dimitry acknowledged her with a slight nod, his expression unreadable but his eyes piercing. Next, Cassy indicated an Asian man who looked like he wished to be anywhere but here. "This is Khulan Baatar."

Khulan gave a brief nod, his eyes betraying a flicker of impatience. He tapped his fingers on the table, clearly eager to get this over with. Moving on, Cassy introduced an Indian man in a uniform that reminded Luna of a cop's attire, though it was brown. "This is Chandra Bakshir."

Chandra's eyes were serious, his demeanor disciplined as he inclined his head in greeting. There was an air of calm authority around him. Lastly, General Cassy pointed to a blond-haired man with striking green eyes and a charming smile. "And this is Hunter Smith."

Hunter's smile widened, a touch of warmth in his eyes as he looked at Luna. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, his voice smooth and reassuring.

Luna softened her expression a little. "I am Luna Blacks."

"What happened to your face?" Dimitry asked bluntly, and the others looked at her expectantly.

Luna smiled sweetly. "I thought this was a serious meeting about the community."

They all laughed, the tension momentarily broken. "You're right," Cassy said, regaining his composure. "With the arrival of your group, some projects can finally start. But we are behind the initial planning. We've been here for a week; we can't live in provisory settings forever."

"Rebuilding would be so much faster if those fuckers shared a little of their technology," Fabiano complained, his frustration evident. By the looks on the others' faces, this wasn't the first time he had brought it up.

"Stop whining," Chandra's deep voice echoed in the tent. "Asking the Vritrasura for more aid would put us at a larger debt with them."

The others nodded in agreement. Luna frowned; there was no debt in place. Thö'run had assured her of it. She thought that maybe the other clans had different approaches on the helping mankind endeavor. She made a mental note to discuss it with him latter.

She kept mostly quiet while they discussed rules for the camp, focusing on work divisions and supply management. She found their objective mindset refreshing—no unnecessary diversions, just straightforward conversation. Points were made, insights taken seriously, and most importantly, every single one of them had the well-being of the people in mind. Luna would give her opinion here and there, feeling gradually more integrated into the discussion. She realized these men, despite their rough exteriors, genuinely cared about the future of their community. It gave her a sense of cautious optimism.

The meeting lasted for two hours, and by the end of it, Luna's head was pounding. Despite the exhaustion, she felt a glimmer of hope. If their plans worked out as well in practice as they did on paper, all the effort would be worth it.

"Interesting choice of weapon." Khulan rich accent caught her attention, he was really tall, the muscles on his arms barely contained in his button up shirt.