Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 42: Dragon Rolls

The order came down to return to base. The Gladexians made their way back on a busted but intact tank with their prisoner. Jacque and Alexandre were reunited and immediately compared their streak scores on CrackChat. Robert was elated by their return and went to the mess hall to cook up a nice meal for a job well done. The councilwomen gave a debrief of their experience to Colonel Yamaguchi, including Annabelle's temporary inability to use her powers, which he noted.

"We'll have to readjust our battle plans based on that. We were really counting on your sorcery." Yamaguchi said.

"Hey, is everybody forgetting about me or something?" Elizabeth jeered. "I'm the only one in here who can bench-press a fuckin' building, last I checked."

"Duly noted, Councilwoman Laminaurus. We don't mean to make you feel less important." He then told them their tactical nuclear missile was illegal.

The councilwomen were puzzled. "Illegal?" Annabelle asked.

Yamaguchi nodded. "Infantrymen using tactical nuclear weapons has been banned for centuries now. It is strange the Shriktans have continued manufacturing them for missile launchers. Only pilots and field artillery units have the authority to use them, and that's after their governments have granted permission for their deployment. We're luckily they don't hit us with theirs." He ordered them to stand by in the barracks downstairs until further notice, then handed them a data drive that contained the rules of war.

"It's mandatory reading we all have to do. Study it while you have downtime." Yamaguchi said.

The councilwomen went and found a vacant living quarters. In the front of the room, Annabelle was at a desk reading through the rules of war—in all its 65-terabyte glory—on a neatly configured desktop computer. Elizabeth stirred restlessly in one of the beds in the back.

Annabelle was resting her cheek against her fist, completely mentally checked out.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah." Annabelle leaned back against her seat. "I'm starting to wonder what we're doing here, too."

Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. "Finally get what I was bitchin' about earlier? Why are we really here? We could be helping our people back home or attacking some super secret base somewhere. There're a million different fuckin' things we could be doin' right now that are way more important than fighting a bunch of pissant conscripts. Shit, they broke an' ran at the first sign of trouble! Anybody coulda handled them!"

Annabelle mulled over it. "Yeah .... "

"You almost had a heart attack right before H-hour. You were bein' warned about somethin', and it wasn't those monsters or those poorly trained runts. They're hidin' somethin' from us."

Annabelle leaned back more in her chair and was surprised when the footrest popped out. She crossed her legs and enjoyed the massage feature as it put her more at ease. "Mmm .... "

Elizabeth looked at her curiously. "You still with me, Sparkles?"

"Yes .... "

"I wanna bring this up to the colonel."

"You want my suggestion?"

Elizabeth sighed. "You want me to ask politely?"

"Ask politely, yes." Annabelle said with a grin.

"And how do we 'politely' broach the subject with him? 'Hey, sir, are you fuckin' hiding somethin' from us?'"

"Obviously not like that, Liz. Besides, I would be the one talking. Is our dynamic not clear at this point?" She pointed at herself—"diplomat"—she pointed at Elizabeth—"brawler."