Even in the middle of the night, the base was well lit up and full of energy. The fight outside the boundary walls had finally come to an end, or at least reduced drastically in scale. After all, the number of soldiers within the base had increased once again, and the sounds of fighting couldn’t be heard anymore. The oppressive feeling that had enveloped the base for days had also come to an end.
The patrols through the streets had resumed to their normal state, meaning Nero and Vanessa were never outside the line of sight of some patrol. Some would have surely stopped and interrogated them for their intentions if they didn’t all recognise Vanessa.
As it was, they only got odd looks. It wasn’t everyday they saw someone in uniform walking with a person in hospital gown walking down the street in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, their destination was only a short distance away. It barely gave Nero enough time to notice the brightly lit night sky, with the bright moon out in full, and the pleasant breeze flowing through the streets. For once, the wind didn’t carry with it the scent of corpses, but instead was filled with the aroma of wild flowers from the forest nearby.
"You’re awfully well connected," Nero couldn’t help but comment, now that he had a moment to gather his thoughts.
"You only see me, but you don’t see all the other elements that Golden Dawn has operating in the background. Kolar’s alliance with Nova has never been as strong as it is now, and that comes with sufficient perks, not to mention I’ve more than paid for any actual benefit I’m receiving."
"Makes sense," Nero muttered. They had no more time to continue their conversation, for they had already reached the building where they would once again be meeting the Lieutenant and the Colonel, as well as anyone else of influence.
Once inside the building Vanessa led the way, using her clearance to get past all the checks and barriers. With a mere request from her, one of the soldiers directly escorted her to the meeting room where all the superiors were currently arguing back and forth.
The unexpected knock on the door cut through the sound of arguing voices, and everyone turned to look at the soldier who announced both Vanessa and Nero’s arrival before the two stepped in.
"What are you doing here? This is no place for you," said one of the officers Nero didn’t recognise while looking at Vanessa. The others, however, did not back him up. Instead, they all looked towards Vanessa.
Yet, it wasn’t her that spoke.
"Permission to speak?" Nero said, cutting through the heavy silence in the room. He was facing Lieutenant Earl, who looked significantly more irritated than when Nero last saw him just a few hours ago.
"Speak freely," Earl said and waved his hand.
"I don’t know how much time we have left," began Nero, addressing the whole room, "but I know it won’t make any difference since we’ve already had more than a few excursions into Perilith, and the damage is already done. Yet I don’t want to waste this opportunity, not only for myself, but also for all of Kolar. I, as well as officer Vanessa, volunteer to continue excursions into Perilith in an attempt to get more materials before our access rights are entirely terminated.
"Since we are volunteering, surely it’s not the same as being ordered to go. This opportunity is too good to waste, and I have already proven that our latest strategy works. You can see if any others volunteer to go, and if not it hardly matters. Considering the immense gap between our skills, and the dangers we face, more people only hold me back rather than aid me. It’s much easier to avoid a fight than to win it in a foreign environment anyway."
As soon as Nero finished speaking he saluted the Lieutenant, and returned to the attention position. He’d already tipped the balance of an argument that had already been going on, and it should be enough to sway everyone’s minds. If it didn’t then Vanessa would have to contribute a little, but he felt like it would work.
"You are an untrained child," said the very same officer who questioned Vanessa in the beginning, though his tone was much softer now. "Though you are a child with immense skill and potential, it does not mean we should test the limits of your skill. Yes, Kolar stands to gain, but at what cost? If we set a precedent for sacrificing our future generations, then the country will only be a few decades away from falling.
"In fact, your exemplary display of patriotism by volunteering to expose yourself to danger for the gain of Kolar is more reason to keep you away from Perilith than anything else. Trust me, if the lack of these few plants causes the country to decline, then it is probably doomed to begin with."
Though the man was going against what Nero wanted, and was entirely misunderstanding what was happening, Nero couldn’t help but pay greater attention to him. He looked like a middle aged man with blonde hair and an unremarkable face. The man lacked any and all distinguishing features, making him look like the most generic and stereotypical image of what a Kolari looked like.
Yet the badges on his sleeve dictated that the man was one with immense influence, and a rank to match it as well. Nero wanted to read the man’s name on the badge he was wearing, but for some reason got distracted and never read it. The moment he looked away, Nero even started to forget what he looked like entirely.
"Orion, your objection has been noted, but unfortunately this time around, I cannot support you," said the Lieutenant, who glanced towards Vanessa for a moment. "Like I was saying previously, unless otherwise instructed, we will continue our operations. As of right now, we have no orders to halt our operations, and so we won’t. In fact, if anything, we’re going to be ramping up the number of Neophytes we’re going to be sending in.
"This is Kolar, and we are all soldiers here. When the country and its people need us, none shall simply stand by, regardless of age. Do not belittle the valor of our soldiers by judging them for their young age."