Bodanen: Cobalt War

Chapter 13: Hidden No Longer

After thirty minutes of flying, the six scouts made it to the dense, northern forest, where the enemy base was thought to be. Quickly the scouts separated to begin their survey of the area. As they flew through the cold, empty sky, they watched the forest for any signs of intelligent life; fire, light, trails, or movement; anything that may point them in the direction of the hidden base. Each scout was given a row of six segments to scour, separating the forest in a six by six grid. "Mission; start." Boris' voice rang in the others' ears as they began to venture further into the forest. "We have a secure channel, so we should be able to talk freely if anyone wishes. I must say, though, all of you volunteering for this mission is commendable; this is possibly the most dangerous operation in our lifetime, and you step forward for the initial dangerous night scouting mission without hesitation. You are a good lot."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself. You've been given a mission by the king himself, and you're out here to end this war that's raged for forty-five years. And there's only three of you. I'd say you're the more impressive one." Lilly Goebel's cheery voice seemed to echo in the silent night air.

"You are too kind, but in truth, I am simply here because I was in the wrong place at the right time. I held my ground next to Siegfried at Burkhart and survived to tell the tale. Siegfried is the impressive one; orphaned at a young age and then raised by a great warrior, he lost his adoptive father in battle, yet still, he presses on. Given this great task by the king, and he does not buckle. He is far stronger than I could ever hope to be; I am just proud to stand next to him as a comrade and friend." The other scouts could almost feel the air of melancholy that seemed to flow from Boris' words.

"Boris, you shouldn't belittle yourself like that; the fact that you're here, to begin with, is enough proof that you belong here. You're fighting just as hard as Siegfried; you're undertaking the very same suicidal mission that he is. Buck up! As soon as we find this ridiculous base, we'll head home and prepare for an assault that will put us on the offensive for the first time in years against Father and his creatures." Albert Kuznetsov's voice reverberated into the others' ears, boosting Boris' self-esteem.

"Albert's right, Boris! We may have only just met, but in that short time, you've done all you could to make sure that your mission could be a success, and even put yourself on the line before anyone else, volunteering before any of us could. You suggested this scouting mission; believe in yourself, Boris; you are a good man." Lilly's voice echoed in the silence that followed; as Boris regained his composer.

"Thank you; that means a lot. I will try to work on my self-esteem. But let us proceed. Christos, I am heading to the next section; this one is clear." Boris continued on to the next section of the search area. In his ear, a small chorus of 'same here's, and 'all clear's rang out as the others moved on as well.

"Lilly, can you stop flirting with the new guy; save it for when we get home." A new voice now rang in from the crystal in the scouts' ears. Annabelle had decided to try and lighten the conversation. "At least let me or Shelly have a turn at him."

"What! What are you talking about, Anna? You...you are just...just making things up." One could practically hear the shade of crimson Lilly was turning as she argued over the communicator.

"There's nothing wrong with flirting with Boris; he's a cute, charming angel guy in the military, on a dangerous mission; what's not to like. Not to mention, he's just a sweetheart. Just don't capitalize him on your own." Annabelle could be heard snickering quietly over the crystals.

"Stop...stop it, Anna!" with a flustered Lilly yelling over the crystals, the rest of the captains laughed heartily, giving a familiar feeling; that of a close family.