Глава 13

I heard Manfred picked up a kid, guess that was you.

These Sarkaz are under my control. You're their captain, right?

Hey, let go of me! Who... who are you? What do you want?

We're on a mission for the Military Commission and all the big shots from the Royal Court!

Great, I'm here to enforce their discipline.

Hey there, Amiya. And, of course...

Doctor.

Hoederer...

What's wrong, your first face-to-face meeting got you feeling disappointed?

He did spend more time playing the antagonist than working our side. I'm not used to it either.

No.

Thank you for your help, Hoederer. We can talk about the other stuff later.

As you can see, this little town is quickly becoming a war zone.

Yeah, I do see. And we've got some important intel to share with you.

About this town and the 'Lifeline' hidden in its shadows.

There are two forces attacking the town's Sarkaz garrison. One is the Self-Salvation Corps that Closure brought out from Londinium.

Hmph, looks like my safehouse got trashed. I hope that old hag doesn't go peacefully.

The other is a force made up of soldiers who once fought for different dukes... along with some workers and refugees.

It's a pretty disorganized group, led by—

The Siege.

We reach the town to find the battle has mostly subsided.

Logos has not yet returned from the town center. Seems dealing with the Vampiric ritual is no simple task.

I catch sight of Siege and Delphine, as well as Misery and Closure, along with fighters from the Self-Salvation Corps

When we left Londinium, we never expected this rendezvous in Brentwood would be so... difficult for each of us.

We make our way to a dilapidated house, but the atmosphere isn't the kind of exhaustion and relief you'd expect from a long-awaited reunion with friends.

After giving me a quick physical, Dr. Kal'tsit and the Doctor take some crystal samples and move to talk privately.

The room falls silent, and all eyes turn to Hoederer, leaning against the wall alone.

The rhythm of his sword sharpening is as steady as his breathing.

Delphine recognizes Hoederer with a glance.

General Manfred of the Kazdel Military Commission's right hand man. He was involved in the execution and assassination of many political figures throughout Londinium.

Then, Hoederer tells us about a Feranmut brought to Londinium by the Sarkaz.

Urk—Help—Hngh—

Shh!

Quiet down, *Sarkaz profanity*.

We all turn to the Sarkaz who have not yet figured out the situation.

Where are we...?

Victorians?! And... Sarkaz mercenaries?

It's okay, I'm still here.

The situation is, um, a little bit complicated. But you can trust me on this.

You aren't actually gonna carry this dead weight around for the next phase of the plan, are you?

Who are you calling dead weight?!

W, I promised Paprika that no harm would come to them.

Ugh, Rhodes Island, same as it ever was.

Then let's have them stick with my mercs. They've had it too easy for too long, might as well bring some new blood in to have some fun.

Hey you, blue-haired Feline, what's on your mind? You've been staring at us for a while.

Feel like killing us? Go ahead, draw your sword.

Not gonna do it? Pfft.

If all you want is a Bolívarian standoff, I'm gonna pass. Me and my men oughta hit the road.

You can stay here and stay mad.

Oh, by the way, Ines, if you're gonna fight the Victorians, make sure you let me know ahead of time. Wouldn't wanna miss the show.

Lady Delphine...

Amiya.

You...

You're alright. I'm glad. I was worried.

I... Amiya, I'm sorry.

I'm willing to trust Rhodes Island's processes in choosing collaboration partners.

It's just... I mean... I'm an intelligence officer myself. It's not as if I've never heard of this 'Hoederer' gentleman.

I just... No, it's not just him, even Misery, and Ines, I can't help but think...

I can't accept it, not at the moment.

...No, maybe I can't ever accept it.

But for now, as I said, I'll trust Vina's judgment.

If this is what we have to do, then let's do it.

These scars won't be forgotten, nor should they be.

The Sarkaz Wars have never ended, Feline.

Cut the Military Commission's supply lines, indeed, this has been our goal all along.

In any case, this is a way to end the war quickly.

And as for this 'Feranmut'...

...I know what you're thinking.

Now that no base is safe, this skeleton can become our key to counterattacking Londinium.

We can't take any of these armies head-on, and we can't work around the essentially unbeatable firepower of that airship...

So, this 'elusive' Feranmut is the best vehicle we could hope for. And, at the same time, it's a fortress, and a spear aimed right at the heart.

In that case, if we succeed, it'll be thanks to the leaders of this counterattack, and not... 'Sarkaz mercenaries'.

It seems we have no grounds on which to refuse cooperation.

'However...'

However...

From a rational point of view, I understand that there are differences among the Sarkaz, that the Exemplars appears to function seamlessly with Misery, but... we're talking about individual friendship.

We may be able to respect, trust, and even love a few select individuals. But now, we stand before a war where all sides have blood-soaked hands.

Given enough time, we may be able to determine one-by-one who has committed war crimes and who is innocent, but we do not have that time.

We are at an impasse, Hoederer. Our cooperation will not be so smooth.

And that is why we are here.

Rhodes Island will serve as a mediator between the two parties.

Such that we can end the suffering of the Victorian people that this war has wrought, and such that we can prevent the Sarkaz of Kazdel from being dragged back into the abyss.

We're not here to force handshakes and reconciliation, we can leave that to the end of this ridiculous war.

Platitudes mean nothing. It's actions that will put an end to all this.

This is all very Rhodes Island, indeed... I've heard Hoederer has been in contact with Rhodes Island in the past?

You've mentioned the place where the Feranmut is docked, among a large number of Sarkaz garrisons.

But if we're talking about the plan rationally, a small number of elites would do better than...

Better than sending workers and street thugs to their deaths, yes? You can speak openly, I won't mind.

But my boys won't miss a chance to strike at the Sarkaz.

Our armor can draw the garrison's fire.

I see Hoederer smiling. It seems this is a side of Siege that relaxes him, at least a bit.

After all, he seems to be hiding something.

That'll do, thanks.

Hoederer expresses his gratitude and the discussion comes to a close.

Sarkaz mercenary, Hoederer.

After reuniting with W in Chernobog, Ascalon gave me his complete file. It dates back to the time of... Babel.

So, I trust him.

...Amiya.

This is our first formal cooperation with <i>Rhodes Island.</i>

Yes, it is.