Origin of the 11th

Chapter 3: The Substance of Life

"Sir, please forgive us." Julia and I said simultaneously as we both bowed our heads in shame. Generally the code for the HSFMA was extremely harsh in its disciplinary policies, with the slightest misdemeanor being punishable by various methods of torture. Commander Raiden didn't reply, so I took the chance to speak first before Julia could do so.

"Sir, it was my fault. This fight was my idea and I lost management of time. I am clearly unqualified to be debriefed about the mission that you mentioned in your letter. Please give me all the punishment and take that opportunity away from me." I said quickly, hoping that Julia would be let off. Julia looked horrified at both what I was saying and how terrible I was at lying, James and Tiffany both chuckled under their breath at my improvisation, but the Commander began to pace around with a strange expression on his face that seemed to indicate deep thought.

"You know." Commander Raiden said finally, still pacing around with an emotionless air about him. "Since this fight was your idea, I will let my niece off without penalty. You, on the other hand, should be ashamed of yourself and fully deserve to be removed from the mission team. But since you were victorious, it would be counterproductive for you not to participate in this mission."

I saw Julia stiffen when he referred to her as his niece. He had never referred to her by anything that would remotely indicate that they were family, usually addressing her as 'Julia Falcon' or just 'Ms. Falcon.' Deciding that I could dwell on that later, I remained bowed as I said. "Thank you sir." in a manner that conveyed as much gratitude as I could artificially convey.

"Anyways, we shall get straight to the mission." Commander Raiden said, looking around at the four of us. "Your mission is to obtain milk. At long last, our sensors have finally discovered some in the Himalayan mountain range, deep in Mechanon territory."

My jaw dropped and Julia's eyes widened. Neither James nor Tiffany seemed remotely surprised though. On the contrary, they seemed perfectly normal except Tiffany was slightly more solemn than usual. Julia was the first to speak because her jaw wasn't hanging in an otherwise physically impossible manner. "Sir, why exactly would we need milk? It shouldn't serve any special purpose. The only thing that seems unusual about milk is that there isn't any around here."

"Julia, you should stop addressing me as 'sir.' I am your mother's brother after all." Commander Raiden said, smiling as Julia appeared stunned. I asked James if the Commander had gone insane with my eyes, but he shrugged in response before the person in question continued. "Milk is the substance of life, the original liquid that represents new birth. With it, we can not only resurrect the human race, but we can destroy the Mechanon with our newest weapon."

"A new weapon?" I asked, wondering what kind of weapon would be fueled by milk. My curiosity didn't have to wait long as Commander Raiden snapped his fingers and the arena we were in began changing. The stands at the back began to contract as something that looked like a huge satellite dish emerged from the gaping hole left in the stands. After a few moments, we were staring at a gargantuan satellite dish that blackened obscured the entire sky over us. The dish was easily 15 miles in diameter, dwarfing any single vehicle I had ever seen.

"Abundant Vengeance." breathed Commander Raiden as we beheld the massive dish. "A weapon capable of destroying all of Afro-Eurasia in a single blow, which would wipe out nearly all of the Mechanon's facilities and population. With this, the human race will be free and the war will be over. But first, you must be confused on what is happening. Therefore, if any one of you should have a question, let that one ask it."

It was all so hard to believe, but with the weapon directly above me, I didn't really have a choice. "Why are you sending us on this mission sir? Surely there are some more qualified?" I asked, genuinely curious as to why a group of four recently graduated students were chosen for such a significant mission.