“So you're saying, this sister not only completed her growth earlier than the others, she also woke up soon after?”
Ria asked as she drank her morning coffee, a frown on her face. She was wearing a white uniform similar to her mother, but with red outlines.
“Yes, she also seems extremely unlucky, for some reason…”
Nicia replied, giving a glance to her new sister. ECG-099 was soaking a part of her toast into her own bowl of coffee, but when she rose it up to take it to her mouth, it broke down, and the part she was about to put in her mouth fell back into the bowl. Nicia kind of felt pity for this new sister of hers, as it happened more than once already…
“...And neither A-4 nor you know the reason behind all this?” Ria asked, still frowning.
“Yes, all medical scans on her do not detect anything.”
“Huh…” Just like her sister, Ria could not make head around any of this, just what was so special about this clone for her to awake before time with no reasonable explanation?
“How about you, do you know the reason you woke up so early?” She asked the concerned person.
ECG-099 stopped what she was doing, staring emotionlessly at Ria.
“I do not know, Prime Sister Ria. All I know is that I was born to help Mother. The faster, the better.”
ECG-099 truly had no idea why she woke up earlier than her sisters, all that she cared about was completing the mission she was born for.
This was another peculiar thing about ECGs, all of their implanted knowledge was sorely focused on means to accomplish their missions, with only the bare minimum required amount of common knowledge…
In the end, Ria sighed, there was no meaning in delving onto something that was a complete mystery. Instead, she focused on what was important.
“How is she?” She asked Nicia as the latter drank from her cup.
“Better than I expected.” Nicia replied, a serious look on her face as she put her cup on the table. "Her fighting ability is top notch. Not on the level of mom, of course, but still a force to be reckoned with. I expect our new sisters to be able to achieve similar results."
After all the problems had been solved, and Nicia changed her clothes, she, Willia and their newborn sister went to the training ground. There, they tested ECG-099's capabilities, and the girl even sparred with Willia, holding her ground and winning against the Null class clone girl.
“Was she able to adapt?” Ria asked, interested.
“Yes, while she might be expressionless, she is in full capacity of making her own judgment of the situation.” Nicia said back, and Ria could not help but be pleased by that. Soldiers had better use if they could make decisions for themselves on the battlefield and not follow orders blindly. Moreover, she was not sure her mother would be very pleased to have one hundred 'humanoid weapons' calling her mother, seeing how she and her sisters were treated until recently...
But all in all, the results were satisfying to her. If all Emergency Clone Girls were like this, then their operation would surely be a success.
She took a look at the woman's equipment. As part of the training, ECG-099 was wearing the newly developed armored skinsuit, and had not taken it off since. It was different from her mother's in various ways.
The most striking one was in the material’s aesthetic. While the parts made in durium gave a white, shiny plastic impression, the ones made in aereum gave a metallic feeling, and were identical to bronze in color. Aereum was dominant, with small durium parts complementing the armor here and there.
One noticeable modification was the fact that the hard parts could not be removed from the armored skinsuit, which permitted the covering of more parts of the body with hard armor, making it more defense focused, but still light enough to be worn without bothering the user’s movements.
The helmet also looked different, yet similar at the same time. It kept its overall form, but the T-shaped visor was modified. It now was divided in two, over each eye, in a somewhat oval shape, and kept their blue glow. Both were separated by an apparent nose guard, which ended on a rectangular air filter that covered the entire mouth up to the shin.
Overall, while keeping a very futuristic look, the armor also emanated an aura of an ancient warrior from times humanity had forgotten long ago. A-4 was proud of this remodeling and called the armor the J-12c armored skinsuit variant.
As for their armament, Ria had spent a good part of her time yesterday modifying existing rifles with the help of A-4, so that they would suit the ECG’s tactics. They had taken the R-31 laser rifle, elongated its barrel, and fixed an energy heating bayonet at the of it. They had called this variant the R-33.
The other general equipment the ECGs would be equipped with would be an energy shield, fixed on the left forearm of their armor. It could either take a big, rounded circular form, or a large rectangular one. Each form had a hole through which the barrel of their rifles could be fitted through, making it possible to fire and advance while under protection.
Ria could already imagine herself leading her sisters on the battlefield, and it was as she was thinking of new battle schemes in her mind that two of her sisters entered the room.
““Good morning!”” Ticinia and Vinia exclaimed as they entered the cafeteria, still in their pajamas, but full of energy. They immediately noticed the presence of ECG-099 and stopped in their tracks however...
“Oh, good morning, Ticinia, Vinia, did you both sleep well?” Ria asked, giving a smile to her youngest sisters. Both of them nodded, but their gazes were not on their elder sister.
ECG-099 got up suddenly, hitting the table and making the bowl nearly spill out its content if not for the quick act of Nicia, who had a premonition something like this would happen and held it.
“Greetings, Prime Sisters, I am ECG-099.” The clone said, saluting with her right fist over her heart and standing at attention. Both Ticinia and Vinia stared at her in wonder.
“...Whoa, she’s so cool… So this is our new sister…” Vinia suddenly mumbled, and her sister Ticinia sent a cute, questioning look to her older sisters.
“Sisters, didn’t you say they would not wake up until at least 10 AM?” She asked, it was around eight in the morning right now, so she did not expect the presence of one of her new sisters yet.
“Well, that’s right, but that one’s a bit… special…” Nicia said with a wry smile, not knowing how to describe the events of the night.
“099!” Vinia suddenly exclaimed with excitement. “My name’s Vinia, codename 12! You’re my little sister, right?”
“Prime Sister Null CG-12 Vinia’s words are correct, I am your little sister.” ECG-099 replied matter of factly, still expressionless, but her answer still made Vinia happy.
“Hehe~, I’m not the youngest anymore!” She said, giggling as a big smile appeared on her face. “Don’t use my codename, call me Vinia!”
“Understood, Prime Sister Vinia.”
They began to interact under the eyes of her sisters, who were smiling warmly.
Seeing an opening, Nicia made a move and hugged Ticinia from behind.
“Fueh? Sister Nicia?” The cute twintail asked, turning her head.
“Don't mind me, I’m just recharging my battery.” Nicia said, enjoying the hug. “Anyway, I’m surprised you didn’t hug our new sister.”
“Hehe~, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m letting Vinia monopolize our new sister for a while.” Ticinia replied with a big smile.
“To be so considerate of others, that’s our Ticinia~.” Nicia said as she tried to tighten the hug, but before she could, her little sister noticed somebody else present in the room.
“Oh, sister Willia! Good morning!” She exclaimed, getting out of Nicia’s embrace in a flash and immediately hugging Willia, who had just woken up from her small nap on a chair next to Nicia’s seating place.
“Fuah~, Ticinia? Good morning…” Willia said, yawning, the small nap had not helped as much as she wanted.
“Hehe~ It’s hug time, sister Willia!” Ticinia said, tightening her hug. The incident that had happened some time ago had not impacted the way she treated Willia. Which made her sister feel less guilty.
Meanwhile, a defeated Nicia sat back on her chair, sending an envious gaze towards her sister.
“Don’t be like that, Nicia.” Ria said with a wry smile. “You can hug Ticinia later.”
Nicia looked back at her second sister, commenting. “You say that, but I’m sure you’re feeling the same as me right now.”
“...”
Ria had been seen through, she could only stay silent. In this awkward silence, she raked her throat to gain all her sisters’ attention and divert the subject.
“Ahem, everybody. Soon we will begin our operation.” She said seriously, changing the mood of the room. “Once the others are awake and have their breakfast, we’ll immediately go to the incubating room and welcome our new sisters, and after they receive their equipment, we’ll immediately go out.”
The others nodded seriously, seeing that, Ria nodded too, and declared with her left fist raised.
“For our family!”
““For our family!”” Her sisters exclaimed, raising their left fist into the air.
“...For Mother…” A late ECG-099 said, imitating all the others. The words were different, but all present understood their meanings. They had the same goal, after all…
***
Rika woke up feeling more refreshed than she had ever been since a long while. She got out of bed while making sure not to wake up the other occupant, which curled up on herself as a result of her leaving.
She smiled at that, while sleeping, Ticia’s clones appeared to be just like any normal kid. She glanced over at the other bed.
Well, like mother like daughter, I guess. She thought, smiling bitterly at the way Ticia and her daughters were sleeping. Although in a bit of a messy state, all were sleeping peacefully. All but one actually, a pair of hair antennas twitched, before their owners slowly raised themselves, in a somewhat sleepy state.
“Good morning, Mia.” Rika said silently, smiling wryly at the clone girl. Mia froze an instant.
“Ah, good morning.” She said somewhat weakly, but did not break eye contact like she did before. Rika guessed it might have something to do with the presence of her mother next to her.
Mia slowly but surely made her way out of the bed, making sure not to wake up her sisters and her mother.
“Want to eat something?” Rika asked next, to which Mia nodded. Rika then went towards the small kitchen, and opened a locker in which she kept food. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much variety, and only subsisted on military rations, not the best choice of food to give to a kid, as had shown Nia the day before…
Which one would be best… She asked herself, before finding colorful gelatin bars well hidden behind. She had completely forgotten she had these... At least those have a sweet taste, kind of…
She took one for herself, and gave the other to Mia after opening the wrapping. Mia took it without saying a word, before examining the bar.
“What is that?” She asked, looking at Rika.
“It's a fruit jelly bar. You know what jelly is, right?” Mia nodded. “Well, those are the same, but dried up so that they keep this form.” She said, eating her own.
“...Interesting…” Mia began to stare at the jelly bar with a curious look, feeling its texture with her fingers, before taking a bite.
“It’s sweet!” Her eyes lit up, before nibbling on the jelly bar, which gave the impression of a squirrel to Rika.
“Is it good?” Rika asked, knowing the answer.
“Yes!” Mia said a smile beaming. there was no trace of her shyness right now. “I can taste multiple fruits at the same time, and the texture is so special… Which chemical process was used?!” She asked, bewildering Rika by her instance.
“I-I don’t know, but if you like it, that’s good.” Rika replied back, glad that she had purchased some low cost sweets from the civilian market before departing for this operation. “Do you want another one?”
“Yes!” Mia nodded her head vigorously, Rika’s smile deepened, and she gave another jelly bar to the girl, but this time Mia stopped before putting the bar in her mouth.
“Ah.”
“Mh? what’s wrong?” Rika asked, wondering why the girl suddenly stopped. Mia looked at her with tears in her eyes.
“M-miss Rika, can this be considered as a candy?” She asked, with a bit of fear in her voice.
“Oh…” Rika realized what the girl meant. Yesterday, Ticia had prohibited the girls from eating sweets, and a jelly bar could certainly count as a sweet.
“...Don’t worry, Mia, your mother is sleeping, and nobody else saw us.” Rika said reassuringly, but Mia still hesitated, so Rika added another few words with a wink. “This will be our little secret from your mother, alright?”
“Secret…” Mia seemed hesitant, looking back over to the bed, then looking at the jelly bar in her hands. In the end, her hunger won, and she ate the jelly bar.
This doesn’t count as corruption, right? Rika thought afterwards, she didn’t want the girl to be reprimanded because of her, but she also just influenced Mia into disobeying her mother and keeping secrets. She looked at Mia’s face, which was full of delight. Her cheeks were a bit puffed up, and her eyes full of stars.
Well, it should be alright… She thought. She did not think Ticia would be that angry either anyway if the result was a cute face of delight. For now, she should just continue her morning routine.
Usually she would change into some sportswear, and do some running around the camp, but she couldn’t leave Mia alone, so she gave up on running.
After changing herself into light sportswear, she began doing some pumps, following her daily routine. Mia saw what she was doing, and after some hesitation, she asked Rika.
“Miss, why are you doing this?”
“This is training.” Rika answered, staying focused. “For my job, I need to stay in my best form.”
She was quite proud of herself when it came to personal training, and she liked to train. Training represented to her a way to differentiate herself from her old, spoiled personality. Maybe that was why she was so strict on training, and that Ticia paid the price for it…
But it did achieve some things on her body, though. Rika was muscular, and it was visible. The most notable were her abs, for example. She remembered Ticia commenting on this once.
‘Your muscles enhance your overall aura, General.’
She had asked Ticia what she meant by that, but her subordinate had stayed quiet, saying that she was just stating something obvious. Perhaps I could ask again this time…
“Mh?” While she was in her thoughts, Rika had not noticed that Mia had begun to imitate her, doing some pumps herself. When the girl noticed her gaze, Mia became embarrassed.
“I-I want to train too.” She said, but Rika could see the girl was already struggling after a few.
“Stop.” Rika said with a serious tone, making the small girl freeze. “You’re still a kid, you shouldn’t train on my level.”
Rika had some problems with letting a kid do this. A kid should play around and laugh innocently, not train to become a soldier.
Mia, though, seemed to think differently.
“No…” She said, with a look of determination that surprised Rika. “I want to train, so that I can help mom later on.”
“...” Rika could not say anything against this argument, she knew Mia was a shy girl, and yet, this shy little girl was training seriously because she wanted to be helpful to her mother.
“...Fine, but do it in moderation.” She said, respecting the girl’s choice.
They continued for a while in silence, changing exercises a few times. Rika observed Mia, and when she saw that the girl was reaching her limits, she immediately changed her exercise, and Mia followed along. So after a while, Rika had finished her exercises, way earlier than usual.
I guess this is fine for today… She thought, seeing the little girl’s happy face. If being a bit lenient on her training could help a kid be happy, then so be it. In fact, she was surprised the girl managed to follow her until the end.
“You look used to training.” She said, as she changed into her usual military uniform, to wich Mia shook her head.
“No, I’m not.” The girl said, a bit sad. “Mom doesn’t really want us to train, but we managed to convince her with some... stuborness?”
Oh Ticia… Rika rolled her eyes. How can you falter so easily? But then she thought back. Ticia said she had twelve daughters, right? She imagined having twelve little Ticias doing puppy eyes.
…I take back what I said, there was no chance Ticia could resist that…
“But what I did wasn’t much compared to some of my sisters.” Mia continued, smiling wryly. “Eldest sister, third sister and fourth sister pass their time training all day sometimes…”
Rika frowned. That is some determination, but why?
Mia saw Rika’s frown, and continued.
“Mom might want us to be normal kids, but we’re not.” She said with seriousness. “While we’re happy she treats us like this, and accepts us as her daughters, we’re clones. ‘We’ were born with knowledge normal kids shouldn’t have, and with the expectation, no, order might be a better word, to live and die for our ‘leader’. ‘We’... were made for war.”
Mia then looked into the distance, as Rika listened to what might have been the longest time Mia spoke without stuttering or shying away.
“Null class clones, that’s what we are, and even if mom added the ‘girl’ behind, it doesn’t change anything.” Mia said with a bit of sadness, before looking at Rika. “We’re humanoid weapons, whatever mom says about us. Our only particularity is how independent we are compared to other clones, as well as our extended abilities…”
“...” Rika could feel the heaviness in the kid’s words. Mia meant what she said, she could feel it. She wanted to deny it, but knew she couldn’t. She had seen what both Lidia and Nia could do. Lidia was an excellent soldier, an assassin, even. As for Nia, her ability was so precious that people would fight over her if they knew, no doubt.
Things are complicated… She thought. Ticia wanted to let the clone girls live as they wanted, but there were multiple problems with that, and the very first was… the fact that they were clones.
They won’t be left alone. This was a fact, the Borkians and Ionians had deployed so much means just to acquire an old pile of ruins, so much so that they would go to war. They wanted clone technology, and she had seen what means they would use to get that knowledge.
But Ticia… Can you lead a war against two superpowers by yourself? She asked, looking at the beds, where Ticia was still sleeping. The answer was obvious, Ticia would not be able to do so, unless she created more clones. But Ticia had already said she wouldn’t create more clones, even more so if it was to send them to war.
Rika said she would help, but… would she be able to convince her men to side with her, and literally betray the Borkian army? Most of her men would follow her, but then what? Would a simple brigade make a difference? It would in the short term, but in the longer…
I must find a solution. She thought. This might be the best way to help her old subordinate. But my position isn’t great right now…
She was still in a complex situation, and she had no political weight. Alone, she would not be able to do anything. But if she managed to get someone who was willing to help…
We should talk with Berdo. She immediately concluded. Despite his claims of being completely neutral, she was sure the old man had a lot of weight in politics, or in the army, at the very least. Berdo was going to be here soon anyway, the old man had already agreed to protect three of the girls, so what would it change to help twelve clones and a defector?
I also have that option… She was reminded of the offer she received not that long ago from captain Rowla. She had not seen the woman again, but the captain had made clear that her newborn ‘neutral faction’ wanted to recruit her at all cost.
I should investigate a bit. If she played her cards well, and that Rowla and her faction proved worthy of her trust, then all her problems would be solved, and the Borkians might leave Ticia alone…
But first, she had to convince the concerned person…
Rika went back to the beds, Mia following behind her. She sighed as she saw the position the woman had taken on the bed.
Ticia was on her right side, hugging Nia by burying the kid’s face in her chest, a face of pure bliss on her face. Rika wondered how Nia could sleep without suffocating, but since the girl did not say anything, that meant she was fine with it, right? As for Lidia, she was left upside down on the other side of the bed, making Rika wonder how she ended up in this position in the small time she had been away.
Still, they slept peacefully, although Rika was sure Ticia would immediately wake up the moment she sensed danger. The problem was, how to wake them up?
Rika, who was used to Ticia’s antics, had the perfect solution to wake up Ticia.
“Hey, kid, do you want to see something funny?” She said to Mia, an impish smile on her face. Mia, who had come back to her hesitant self, looked at her mother, feeling it has something to do with what Rika said, but ended up nodding.
Rika nodded, her smile deepening, she then took a long, deep breath in, before yelling out loud.
“Second class Ticia! Departure in less than fifteen minutes! Wake up at once or face discipline!”
Ticia was startled awake, but not just her. Nia, Lidia and even Licia also awoke as an unwanted side effect. Nia was thrown into the air when her mother was startled, and Lidia fell from the bed head first, pushed by Ticia’s sudden movement. Both raised strange noises as a result.
“Whoah!?”
“Gubu!?”
Ticia then stood at attention, saluting.
“Second class, Ticia, well awake and ready to receive orders, general!” She declared, only for her serious expression to disappear in realization when she saw the smirk on Rika’s face.
“Y-you, you did it again!” Ticia yelled out in small annoyance. Rika used to wake her up like this when she lazed around, something that she hated, but could understand as she was a soldier, something that she wasn’t right now.
“Now, now, ‘soldier’, you don’t have much time right now.” Rika said, still smiling, she implied that Ticia’s window of opening to leave without problems was getting shorter, and if she wanted to tell Ticia her plans for the future, Ticia needed to be awake now.
But then, she froze.
“...What are you girls doing?” She asked, seeing four girls lining up on Ticia’s right side, all of them were standing at attention, saluting.
“...Don’t know, before I knew it, I was doing it…” Licia said, bewilderment clear on her face, and her sisters were the same. Although it was a funny situation, with Lidia having a bump on her head, a very confused Nia, and Mia’s face reddening from embarrassment, Rika could not let them like this.
“...At ease.” She said, and the clone girls immediately relaxed. Now she could see why Mia called herself and her sisters ‘humanoid weapons’. They were ‘made’ to listen to orders from the beginning. It was just weird that they listened to her though…
“I hope you have a good reason interrupting my daughter’s sleep, ‘general’.” Ticia said, smiling, but the aura around her said otherwise.
“Ticia, we need to talk.” Rika said seriously, ignoring Ticia’s current mood. Feeling that her former superior was serious, Ticia’s mood also changed.
“...A moment, please.” She said to Rika, before turning towards her daughters, and taking out a can from her belt, she gave it to Licia.
“You girls go eat breakfast while we talk, alright?” She said, and Licia nodded. Seeing that, Ticia looked at Rika, sending a glance towards the curtain that separated this part of the tent from the other. Rika caught what she meant, and they both went over there.
“Alright, what's the problem, Rika?” Ticia asked once both were on the other side.
“Ticia, what are your plans after this?” Rika asked, a serious look on her face.
“I’m planning on getting back to Clone installation 3 before noon.” Ticia said matter of factly.
“Then?”
“Then what?” She asked back, unsure where Rika was coming from.
“What are you gonna do after that, continue what you’ve did until now?” Rika said, to which Ticia frowned.
“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”
“Ticia, the Borkioans will not give up on taking this site, and neither will the Ionians.” Rika said, sighing. What she was about to say might sound a bit critical to Ticia, but she needed her former subordinate to have a complete understanding of the situation. “What are you gonna do, keep fighting against them by yourself?”
“Yes.” Ticia replied immediately, and this was what Rika feared. She sighed again.
“I know you’re a great soldier, Ticia, but this isn’t going to work… If this continues, your daughters will be kept inside that old facility forever…”
“So what?” Ticia frowned again, growing frustrated with Rika. “What else do you expect me to do? Join them? Absolutely not. My daughters' safety is my first priority.”
“Yes, and I’m not criticizing you over that, it’s just, what tells you your daughters will always listen to you and stay put?” Rika pointed out. “More incidents like this one could happen again.”
“That-” Ticia began to refute, but stopped, Rika had guessed it right, Ticia was lacking confidence she could grant all her daughters' wishes…
“...One of your solutions might be to make more clo-”
“No!” Ticia immediately stopped Rika in a panic. “I’m not making more clones to use in war!”
“Yes, and I respect your decision, Ticia.” Rika said back, calming the woman. “But you also said you wished your daughters to live normal lives. How are you gonna do this if you keep them confined in an old, abandoned facility?”
“...” Ticia did not argue back, she knew this was a point she could not go against. Rika got close to Ticia, who had lowered her head, and put her hands over her former subordinate’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry.” She said reassuringly. “I said I would help you, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“Rika…” Ticia raised her head, and looked at her former general with a slight look of hope.
As much as she kept saying to herself things would be fine, and ignored the reality, she knew it was impossible deep within herself. A-4 kept telling her that the resources of the base were getting dimmer by the day in its reports, and she had no solutions for that. Not only that, the thought of confining the daughters she loves so much to live their entire lives in this facility now made her realize her plan was wrong from the very beginning. But what alternatives did she have? She was just a soldier, an ‘average’ orphan turned soldier, in her own words, and she had no powers to back her.
Rika caught the distress in Ticia’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I have some ideas.” She said. “The old man will soon be here, with his help, I’m sure we’ll find a way for the Borkians to leave you alone, you and your daughters…”
There was a silence, as Ticia evaluated the weight of Rika’s words, in the end, she grabbed that hope.
“...Alright.” Ticia ended up releasing a long sigh, regaining some confidence. “I’ll listen to you, Rika, I’ll depart once I’ve listened to what Gramps has to say.”
“Good.” Rika nodded, satisfied she had managed to convince Ticia. She then heard a rustle from the entrance of the tent. “Speak of the old devil, there he is.”
Berdo entered the tent in a hurry, a grave expression on his face, which immediately told Rika something was wrong. Berdo froze when he saw Ticia.
“Ticia?” He called out, to which Ticia saluted.
“Greetings, Gramps, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed, it’s been a while, how-” He began before stopping. “No, no time for that, unfortunately.” He turned towards Rika. “Girl, we have a problem.”
“...What kind of problem?” Rika asked, sensing how frustrated Berdo sounded.
“The Republican bastards flanked us.” He said. “They’re doing a general assault over the whole line.”
“What?” Rika could not help but question this move. Yesterday, she had confirmed the Ionians had lost the general in charge of the operation during the raid, and now Berdo was telling her they made an all out assault as their next move?
“The division who has been flanked is having problems, that Fika boy has ordered us to move and support that division, your troops were ordered to be on the first line.” Berdo said. “We have no time to discuss, he made it a red code.”
“Then…” Rika looked at Ticia.
“Yes, that means that now is the best time for the girls to leave without being noticed.” Berdo said back seriously.
Damn it! Rika cursed in her head, General Fika’s goals were clear, he wanted to drain Rika’s brigade by sending her and her men into the center of the fight, and while it would result in her victory, it would be at the cost of severe losses. Other than that, her plan to help Ticia would be compromised. She was also limited in time because of Felgoron, since she could not close his mouth forever, and once he was freed, everything would be over for her…
Seeing her former boss grind her teeth in frustration, Ticia looked pensive, a glance at the curtain separating with the over part of the tent told her that there had been listeners to her conversation with Rika. She closed her eyes, on one side she could leave immediately, protecting her daughters, but knew her daughters would be sad to leave like this. They had grown attached to Rika, and sending Rika to a warzone without being sure they would ever meet again was something she did not wish her kids to experience. She weighed on an imaginary scale what was the most important, her daughter’s safety? Or her daughter’s happiness…
At first, the safety won, but Rika’s words reverberated in her head.
‘But you also said you wished your daughters to live normal lives. How are you gonna do this if you keep them confined in an old, abandoned facility?’
“...No.” She mumbled, gathering attention to herself. Ticia had made a choice.
“General.” She said seriously to Rika, who was slowly realizing what choice Ticia had made. “Allow me to be under your orders for one more time.”
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there! I'm back with another chapter!
Surprised by Ticia's decision at the end? I'm sure you are! You can call it stupid too, but sometimes, that's just how some decisions are made...
Well, other than that, we got a bit more info about ECGs and how they're gonna be, and yeah, on the armor side, they are inspired from Greek hoplites from antiquity. Same with the helmet, if you want a closer idea of what their helmet looks like, just search for 'corinthian helmet', since it was my inspiration when I described the changes in the helmet.
I wondered for some time on how to differentiate the ECGs from other clones, and this idea of giving them a look inspired from antiquity popped up, so I rolled with it. I like the idea a lot honestly, just imagine 100 hoplites charging into a futuristic battlefield with futuristic weapons in their hands, what a scene it would be... If they ever enter the battlefield, that is...
Oh well, we'll see how it goes later, but for now, that's it from me for today! I'll see you all in the next chapter!
“So you're saying, this sister not only completed her growth earlier than the others, she also woke up soon after?”
Ria asked as she drank her morning coffee, a frown on her face. She was wearing a white uniform similar to her mother, but with red outlines.
“Yes, she also seems extremely unlucky, for some reason…”
Nicia replied, giving a glance to her new sister. ECG-099 was soaking a part of her toast into her own bowl of coffee, but when she rose it up to take it to her mouth, it broke down, and the part she was about to put in her mouth fell back into the bowl. Nicia kind of felt pity for this new sister of hers, as it happened more than once already…
“...And neither A-4 nor you know the reason behind all this?” Ria asked, still frowning.
“Yes, all medical scans on her do not detect anything.”
“Huh…” Just like her sister, Ria could not make head around any of this, just what was so special about this clone for her to awake before time with no reasonable explanation?
“How about you, do you know the reason you woke up so early?” She asked the concerned person.
ECG-099 stopped what she was doing, staring emotionlessly at Ria.
“I do not know, Prime Sister Ria. All I know is that I was born to help Mother. The faster, the better.”
ECG-099 truly had no idea why she woke up earlier than her sisters, all that she cared about was completing the mission she was born for.
This was another peculiar thing about ECGs, all of their implanted knowledge was sorely focused on means to accomplish their missions, with only the bare minimum required amount of common knowledge…
In the end, Ria sighed, there was no meaning in delving onto something that was a complete mystery. Instead, she focused on what was important.
“How is she?” She asked Nicia as the latter drank from her cup.
“Better than I expected.” Nicia replied, a serious look on her face as she put her cup on the table. "Her fighting ability is top notch. Not on the level of mom, of course, but still a force to be reckoned with. I expect our new sisters to be able to achieve similar results."
After all the problems had been solved, and Nicia changed her clothes, she, Willia and their newborn sister went to the training ground. There, they tested ECG-099's capabilities, and the girl even sparred with Willia, holding her ground and winning against the Null class clone girl.
“Was she able to adapt?” Ria asked, interested.
“Yes, while she might be expressionless, she is in full capacity of making her own judgment of the situation.” Nicia said back, and Ria could not help but be pleased by that. Soldiers had better use if they could make decisions for themselves on the battlefield and not follow orders blindly. Moreover, she was not sure her mother would be very pleased to have one hundred 'humanoid weapons' calling her mother, seeing how she and her sisters were treated until recently...
But all in all, the results were satisfying to her. If all Emergency Clone Girls were like this, then their operation would surely be a success.
She took a look at the woman's equipment. As part of the training, ECG-099 was wearing the newly developed armored skinsuit, and had not taken it off since. It was different from her mother's in various ways.
The most striking one was in the material’s aesthetic. While the parts made in durium gave a white, shiny plastic impression, the ones made in aereum gave a metallic feeling, and were identical to bronze in color. Aereum was dominant, with small durium parts complementing the armor here and there.
One noticeable modification was the fact that the hard parts could not be removed from the armored skinsuit, which permitted the covering of more parts of the body with hard armor, making it more defense focused, but still light enough to be worn without bothering the user’s movements.
The helmet also looked different, yet similar at the same time. It kept its overall form, but the T-shaped visor was modified. It now was divided in two, over each eye, in a somewhat oval shape, and kept their blue glow. Both were separated by an apparent nose guard, which ended on a rectangular air filter that covered the entire mouth up to the shin.
Overall, while keeping a very futuristic look, the armor also emanated an aura of an ancient warrior from times humanity had forgotten long ago. A-4 was proud of this remodeling and called the armor the J-12c armored skinsuit variant.
As for their armament, Ria had spent a good part of her time yesterday modifying existing rifles with the help of A-4, so that they would suit the ECG’s tactics. They had taken the R-31 laser rifle, elongated its barrel, and fixed an energy heating bayonet at the of it. They had called this variant the R-33.
The other general equipment the ECGs would be equipped with would be an energy shield, fixed on the left forearm of their armor. It could either take a big, rounded circular form, or a large rectangular one. Each form had a hole through which the barrel of their rifles could be fitted through, making it possible to fire and advance while under protection.
Ria could already imagine herself leading her sisters on the battlefield, and it was as she was thinking of new battle schemes in her mind that two of her sisters entered the room.
““Good morning!”” Ticinia and Vinia exclaimed as they entered the cafeteria, still in their pajamas, but full of energy. They immediately noticed the presence of ECG-099 and stopped in their tracks however...
“Oh, good morning, Ticinia, Vinia, did you both sleep well?” Ria asked, giving a smile to her youngest sisters. Both of them nodded, but their gazes were not on their elder sister.
ECG-099 got up suddenly, hitting the table and making the bowl nearly spill out its content if not for the quick act of Nicia, who had a premonition something like this would happen and held it.
“Greetings, Prime Sisters, I am ECG-099.” The clone said, saluting with her right fist over her heart and standing at attention. Both Ticinia and Vinia stared at her in wonder.
“...Whoa, she’s so cool… So this is our new sister…” Vinia suddenly mumbled, and her sister Ticinia sent a cute, questioning look to her older sisters.
“Sisters, didn’t you say they would not wake up until at least 10 AM?” She asked, it was around eight in the morning right now, so she did not expect the presence of one of her new sisters yet.
“Well, that’s right, but that one’s a bit… special…” Nicia said with a wry smile, not knowing how to describe the events of the night.
“099!” Vinia suddenly exclaimed with excitement. “My name’s Vinia, codename 12! You’re my little sister, right?”
“Prime Sister Null CG-12 Vinia’s words are correct, I am your little sister.” ECG-099 replied matter of factly, still expressionless, but her answer still made Vinia happy.
“Hehe~, I’m not the youngest anymore!” She said, giggling as a big smile appeared on her face. “Don’t use my codename, call me Vinia!”
“Understood, Prime Sister Vinia.”
They began to interact under the eyes of her sisters, who were smiling warmly.
Seeing an opening, Nicia made a move and hugged Ticinia from behind.
“Fueh? Sister Nicia?” The cute twintail asked, turning her head.
“Don't mind me, I’m just recharging my battery.” Nicia said, enjoying the hug. “Anyway, I’m surprised you didn’t hug our new sister.”
“Hehe~, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m letting Vinia monopolize our new sister for a while.” Ticinia replied with a big smile.
“To be so considerate of others, that’s our Ticinia~.” Nicia said as she tried to tighten the hug, but before she could, her little sister noticed somebody else present in the room.
“Oh, sister Willia! Good morning!” She exclaimed, getting out of Nicia’s embrace in a flash and immediately hugging Willia, who had just woken up from her small nap on a chair next to Nicia’s seating place.
“Fuah~, Ticinia? Good morning…” Willia said, yawning, the small nap had not helped as much as she wanted.
“Hehe~ It’s hug time, sister Willia!” Ticinia said, tightening her hug. The incident that had happened some time ago had not impacted the way she treated Willia. Which made her sister feel less guilty.
Meanwhile, a defeated Nicia sat back on her chair, sending an envious gaze towards her sister.
“Don’t be like that, Nicia.” Ria said with a wry smile. “You can hug Ticinia later.”
Nicia looked back at her second sister, commenting. “You say that, but I’m sure you’re feeling the same as me right now.”
“...”
Ria had been seen through, she could only stay silent. In this awkward silence, she raked her throat to gain all her sisters’ attention and divert the subject.
“Ahem, everybody. Soon we will begin our operation.” She said seriously, changing the mood of the room. “Once the others are awake and have their breakfast, we’ll immediately go to the incubating room and welcome our new sisters, and after they receive their equipment, we’ll immediately go out.”
The others nodded seriously, seeing that, Ria nodded too, and declared with her left fist raised.
“For our family!”
““For our family!”” Her sisters exclaimed, raising their left fist into the air.
“...For Mother…” A late ECG-099 said, imitating all the others. The words were different, but all present understood their meanings. They had the same goal, after all…
***
Rika woke up feeling more refreshed than she had ever been since a long while. She got out of bed while making sure not to wake up the other occupant, which curled up on herself as a result of her leaving.
She smiled at that, while sleeping, Ticia’s clones appeared to be just like any normal kid. She glanced over at the other bed.
Well, like mother like daughter, I guess. She thought, smiling bitterly at the way Ticia and her daughters were sleeping. Although in a bit of a messy state, all were sleeping peacefully. All but one actually, a pair of hair antennas twitched, before their owners slowly raised themselves, in a somewhat sleepy state.
“Good morning, Mia.” Rika said silently, smiling wryly at the clone girl. Mia froze an instant.
“Ah, good morning.” She said somewhat weakly, but did not break eye contact like she did before. Rika guessed it might have something to do with the presence of her mother next to her.
Mia slowly but surely made her way out of the bed, making sure not to wake up her sisters and her mother.
“Want to eat something?” Rika asked next, to which Mia nodded. Rika then went towards the small kitchen, and opened a locker in which she kept food. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much variety, and only subsisted on military rations, not the best choice of food to give to a kid, as had shown Nia the day before…
Which one would be best… She asked herself, before finding colorful gelatin bars well hidden behind. She had completely forgotten she had these... At least those have a sweet taste, kind of…
She took one for herself, and gave the other to Mia after opening the wrapping. Mia took it without saying a word, before examining the bar.
“What is that?” She asked, looking at Rika.
“It's a fruit jelly bar. You know what jelly is, right?” Mia nodded. “Well, those are the same, but dried up so that they keep this form.” She said, eating her own.
“...Interesting…” Mia began to stare at the jelly bar with a curious look, feeling its texture with her fingers, before taking a bite.
“It’s sweet!” Her eyes lit up, before nibbling on the jelly bar, which gave the impression of a squirrel to Rika.
“Is it good?” Rika asked, knowing the answer.
“Yes!” Mia said a smile beaming. there was no trace of her shyness right now. “I can taste multiple fruits at the same time, and the texture is so special… Which chemical process was used?!” She asked, bewildering Rika by her instance.
“I-I don’t know, but if you like it, that’s good.” Rika replied back, glad that she had purchased some low cost sweets from the civilian market before departing for this operation. “Do you want another one?”
“Yes!” Mia nodded her head vigorously, Rika’s smile deepened, and she gave another jelly bar to the girl, but this time Mia stopped before putting the bar in her mouth.
“Ah.”
“Mh? what’s wrong?” Rika asked, wondering why the girl suddenly stopped. Mia looked at her with tears in her eyes.
“M-miss Rika, can this be considered as a candy?” She asked, with a bit of fear in her voice.
“Oh…” Rika realized what the girl meant. Yesterday, Ticia had prohibited the girls from eating sweets, and a jelly bar could certainly count as a sweet.
“...Don’t worry, Mia, your mother is sleeping, and nobody else saw us.” Rika said reassuringly, but Mia still hesitated, so Rika added another few words with a wink. “This will be our little secret from your mother, alright?”
“Secret…” Mia seemed hesitant, looking back over to the bed, then looking at the jelly bar in her hands. In the end, her hunger won, and she ate the jelly bar.
This doesn’t count as corruption, right? Rika thought afterwards, she didn’t want the girl to be reprimanded because of her, but she also just influenced Mia into disobeying her mother and keeping secrets. She looked at Mia’s face, which was full of delight. Her cheeks were a bit puffed up, and her eyes full of stars.
Well, it should be alright… She thought. She did not think Ticia would be that angry either anyway if the result was a cute face of delight. For now, she should just continue her morning routine.
Usually she would change into some sportswear, and do some running around the camp, but she couldn’t leave Mia alone, so she gave up on running.
After changing herself into light sportswear, she began doing some pumps, following her daily routine. Mia saw what she was doing, and after some hesitation, she asked Rika.
“Miss, why are you doing this?”
“This is training.” Rika answered, staying focused. “For my job, I need to stay in my best form.”
She was quite proud of herself when it came to personal training, and she liked to train. Training represented to her a way to differentiate herself from her old, spoiled personality. Maybe that was why she was so strict on training, and that Ticia paid the price for it…
But it did achieve some things on her body, though. Rika was muscular, and it was visible. The most notable were her abs, for example. She remembered Ticia commenting on this once.
‘Your muscles enhance your overall aura, General.’
She had asked Ticia what she meant by that, but her subordinate had stayed quiet, saying that she was just stating something obvious. Perhaps I could ask again this time…
“Mh?” While she was in her thoughts, Rika had not noticed that Mia had begun to imitate her, doing some pumps herself. When the girl noticed her gaze, Mia became embarrassed.
“I-I want to train too.” She said, but Rika could see the girl was already struggling after a few.
“Stop.” Rika said with a serious tone, making the small girl freeze. “You’re still a kid, you shouldn’t train on my level.”
Rika had some problems with letting a kid do this. A kid should play around and laugh innocently, not train to become a soldier.
Mia, though, seemed to think differently.
“No…” She said, with a look of determination that surprised Rika. “I want to train, so that I can help mom later on.”
“...” Rika could not say anything against this argument, she knew Mia was a shy girl, and yet, this shy little girl was training seriously because she wanted to be helpful to her mother.
“...Fine, but do it in moderation.” She said, respecting the girl’s choice.
They continued for a while in silence, changing exercises a few times. Rika observed Mia, and when she saw that the girl was reaching her limits, she immediately changed her exercise, and Mia followed along. So after a while, Rika had finished her exercises, way earlier than usual.
I guess this is fine for today… She thought, seeing the little girl’s happy face. If being a bit lenient on her training could help a kid be happy, then so be it. In fact, she was surprised the girl managed to follow her until the end.
“You look used to training.” She said, as she changed into her usual military uniform, to wich Mia shook her head.
“No, I’m not.” The girl said, a bit sad. “Mom doesn’t really want us to train, but we managed to convince her with some... stuborness?”
Oh Ticia… Rika rolled her eyes. How can you falter so easily? But then she thought back. Ticia said she had twelve daughters, right? She imagined having twelve little Ticias doing puppy eyes.
…I take back what I said, there was no chance Ticia could resist that…
“But what I did wasn’t much compared to some of my sisters.” Mia continued, smiling wryly. “Eldest sister, third sister and fourth sister pass their time training all day sometimes…”
Rika frowned. That is some determination, but why?
Mia saw Rika’s frown, and continued.
“Mom might want us to be normal kids, but we’re not.” She said with seriousness. “While we’re happy she treats us like this, and accepts us as her daughters, we’re clones. ‘We’ were born with knowledge normal kids shouldn’t have, and with the expectation, no, order might be a better word, to live and die for our ‘leader’. ‘We’... were made for war.”
Mia then looked into the distance, as Rika listened to what might have been the longest time Mia spoke without stuttering or shying away.
“Null class clones, that’s what we are, and even if mom added the ‘girl’ behind, it doesn’t change anything.” Mia said with a bit of sadness, before looking at Rika. “We’re humanoid weapons, whatever mom says about us. Our only particularity is how independent we are compared to other clones, as well as our extended abilities…”
“...” Rika could feel the heaviness in the kid’s words. Mia meant what she said, she could feel it. She wanted to deny it, but knew she couldn’t. She had seen what both Lidia and Nia could do. Lidia was an excellent soldier, an assassin, even. As for Nia, her ability was so precious that people would fight over her if they knew, no doubt.
Things are complicated… She thought. Ticia wanted to let the clone girls live as they wanted, but there were multiple problems with that, and the very first was… the fact that they were clones.
They won’t be left alone. This was a fact, the Borkians and Ionians had deployed so much means just to acquire an old pile of ruins, so much so that they would go to war. They wanted clone technology, and she had seen what means they would use to get that knowledge.
But Ticia… Can you lead a war against two superpowers by yourself? She asked, looking at the beds, where Ticia was still sleeping. The answer was obvious, Ticia would not be able to do so, unless she created more clones. But Ticia had already said she wouldn’t create more clones, even more so if it was to send them to war.
Rika said she would help, but… would she be able to convince her men to side with her, and literally betray the Borkian army? Most of her men would follow her, but then what? Would a simple brigade make a difference? It would in the short term, but in the longer…
I must find a solution. She thought. This might be the best way to help her old subordinate. But my position isn’t great right now…
She was still in a complex situation, and she had no political weight. Alone, she would not be able to do anything. But if she managed to get someone who was willing to help…
We should talk with Berdo. She immediately concluded. Despite his claims of being completely neutral, she was sure the old man had a lot of weight in politics, or in the army, at the very least. Berdo was going to be here soon anyway, the old man had already agreed to protect three of the girls, so what would it change to help twelve clones and a defector?
I also have that option… She was reminded of the offer she received not that long ago from captain Rowla. She had not seen the woman again, but the captain had made clear that her newborn ‘neutral faction’ wanted to recruit her at all cost.
I should investigate a bit. If she played her cards well, and that Rowla and her faction proved worthy of her trust, then all her problems would be solved, and the Borkians might leave Ticia alone…
But first, she had to convince the concerned person…
Rika went back to the beds, Mia following behind her. She sighed as she saw the position the woman had taken on the bed.
Ticia was on her right side, hugging Nia by burying the kid’s face in her chest, a face of pure bliss on her face. Rika wondered how Nia could sleep without suffocating, but since the girl did not say anything, that meant she was fine with it, right? As for Lidia, she was left upside down on the other side of the bed, making Rika wonder how she ended up in this position in the small time she had been away.
Still, they slept peacefully, although Rika was sure Ticia would immediately wake up the moment she sensed danger. The problem was, how to wake them up?
Rika, who was used to Ticia’s antics, had the perfect solution to wake up Ticia.
“Hey, kid, do you want to see something funny?” She said to Mia, an impish smile on her face. Mia, who had come back to her hesitant self, looked at her mother, feeling it has something to do with what Rika said, but ended up nodding.
Rika nodded, her smile deepening, she then took a long, deep breath in, before yelling out loud.
“Second class Ticia! Departure in less than fifteen minutes! Wake up at once or face discipline!”
Ticia was startled awake, but not just her. Nia, Lidia and even Licia also awoke as an unwanted side effect. Nia was thrown into the air when her mother was startled, and Lidia fell from the bed head first, pushed by Ticia’s sudden movement. Both raised strange noises as a result.
“Whoah!?”
“Gubu!?”
Ticia then stood at attention, saluting.
“Second class, Ticia, well awake and ready to receive orders, general!” She declared, only for her serious expression to disappear in realization when she saw the smirk on Rika’s face.
“Y-you, you did it again!” Ticia yelled out in small annoyance. Rika used to wake her up like this when she lazed around, something that she hated, but could understand as she was a soldier, something that she wasn’t right now.
“Now, now, ‘soldier’, you don’t have much time right now.” Rika said, still smiling, she implied that Ticia’s window of opening to leave without problems was getting shorter, and if she wanted to tell Ticia her plans for the future, Ticia needed to be awake now.
But then, she froze.
“...What are you girls doing?” She asked, seeing four girls lining up on Ticia’s right side, all of them were standing at attention, saluting.
“...Don’t know, before I knew it, I was doing it…” Licia said, bewilderment clear on her face, and her sisters were the same. Although it was a funny situation, with Lidia having a bump on her head, a very confused Nia, and Mia’s face reddening from embarrassment, Rika could not let them like this.
“...At ease.” She said, and the clone girls immediately relaxed. Now she could see why Mia called herself and her sisters ‘humanoid weapons’. They were ‘made’ to listen to orders from the beginning. It was just weird that they listened to her though…
“I hope you have a good reason interrupting my daughter’s sleep, ‘general’.” Ticia said, smiling, but the aura around her said otherwise.
“Ticia, we need to talk.” Rika said seriously, ignoring Ticia’s current mood. Feeling that her former superior was serious, Ticia’s mood also changed.
“...A moment, please.” She said to Rika, before turning towards her daughters, and taking out a can from her belt, she gave it to Licia.
“You girls go eat breakfast while we talk, alright?” She said, and Licia nodded. Seeing that, Ticia looked at Rika, sending a glance towards the curtain that separated this part of the tent from the other. Rika caught what she meant, and they both went over there.
“Alright, what's the problem, Rika?” Ticia asked once both were on the other side.
“Ticia, what are your plans after this?” Rika asked, a serious look on her face.
“I’m planning on getting back to Clone installation 3 before noon.” Ticia said matter of factly.
“Then?”
“Then what?” She asked back, unsure where Rika was coming from.
“What are you gonna do after that, continue what you’ve did until now?” Rika said, to which Ticia frowned.
“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”
“Ticia, the Borkioans will not give up on taking this site, and neither will the Ionians.” Rika said, sighing. What she was about to say might sound a bit critical to Ticia, but she needed her former subordinate to have a complete understanding of the situation. “What are you gonna do, keep fighting against them by yourself?”
“Yes.” Ticia replied immediately, and this was what Rika feared. She sighed again.
“I know you’re a great soldier, Ticia, but this isn’t going to work… If this continues, your daughters will be kept inside that old facility forever…”
“So what?” Ticia frowned again, growing frustrated with Rika. “What else do you expect me to do? Join them? Absolutely not. My daughters' safety is my first priority.”
“Yes, and I’m not criticizing you over that, it’s just, what tells you your daughters will always listen to you and stay put?” Rika pointed out. “More incidents like this one could happen again.”
“That-” Ticia began to refute, but stopped, Rika had guessed it right, Ticia was lacking confidence she could grant all her daughters' wishes…
“...One of your solutions might be to make more clo-”
“No!” Ticia immediately stopped Rika in a panic. “I’m not making more clones to use in war!”
“Yes, and I respect your decision, Ticia.” Rika said back, calming the woman. “But you also said you wished your daughters to live normal lives. How are you gonna do this if you keep them confined in an old, abandoned facility?”
“...” Ticia did not argue back, she knew this was a point she could not go against. Rika got close to Ticia, who had lowered her head, and put her hands over her former subordinate’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry.” She said reassuringly. “I said I would help you, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“Rika…” Ticia raised her head, and looked at her former general with a slight look of hope.
As much as she kept saying to herself things would be fine, and ignored the reality, she knew it was impossible deep within herself. A-4 kept telling her that the resources of the base were getting dimmer by the day in its reports, and she had no solutions for that. Not only that, the thought of confining the daughters she loves so much to live their entire lives in this facility now made her realize her plan was wrong from the very beginning. But what alternatives did she have? She was just a soldier, an ‘average’ orphan turned soldier, in her own words, and she had no powers to back her.
Rika caught the distress in Ticia’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I have some ideas.” She said. “The old man will soon be here, with his help, I’m sure we’ll find a way for the Borkians to leave you alone, you and your daughters…”
There was a silence, as Ticia evaluated the weight of Rika’s words, in the end, she grabbed that hope.
“...Alright.” Ticia ended up releasing a long sigh, regaining some confidence. “I’ll listen to you, Rika, I’ll depart once I’ve listened to what Gramps has to say.”
“Good.” Rika nodded, satisfied she had managed to convince Ticia. She then heard a rustle from the entrance of the tent. “Speak of the old devil, there he is.”
Berdo entered the tent in a hurry, a grave expression on his face, which immediately told Rika something was wrong. Berdo froze when he saw Ticia.
“Ticia?” He called out, to which Ticia saluted.
“Greetings, Gramps, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed, it’s been a while, how-” He began before stopping. “No, no time for that, unfortunately.” He turned towards Rika. “Girl, we have a problem.”
“...What kind of problem?” Rika asked, sensing how frustrated Berdo sounded.
“The Republican bastards flanked us.” He said. “They’re doing a general assault over the whole line.”
“What?” Rika could not help but question this move. Yesterday, she had confirmed the Ionians had lost the general in charge of the operation during the raid, and now Berdo was telling her they made an all out assault as their next move?
“The division who has been flanked is having problems, that Fika boy has ordered us to move and support that division, your troops were ordered to be on the first line.” Berdo said. “We have no time to discuss, he made it a red code.”
“Then…” Rika looked at Ticia.
“Yes, that means that now is the best time for the girls to leave without being noticed.” Berdo said back seriously.
Damn it! Rika cursed in her head, General Fika’s goals were clear, he wanted to drain Rika’s brigade by sending her and her men into the center of the fight, and while it would result in her victory, it would be at the cost of severe losses. Other than that, her plan to help Ticia would be compromised. She was also limited in time because of Felgoron, since she could not close his mouth forever, and once he was freed, everything would be over for her…
Seeing her former boss grind her teeth in frustration, Ticia looked pensive, a glance at the curtain separating with the over part of the tent told her that there had been listeners to her conversation with Rika. She closed her eyes, on one side she could leave immediately, protecting her daughters, but knew her daughters would be sad to leave like this. They had grown attached to Rika, and sending Rika to a warzone without being sure they would ever meet again was something she did not wish her kids to experience. She weighed on an imaginary scale what was the most important, her daughter’s safety? Or her daughter’s happiness…
At first, the safety won, but Rika’s words reverberated in her head.
‘But you also said you wished your daughters to live normal lives. How are you gonna do this if you keep them confined in an old, abandoned facility?’
“...No.” She mumbled, gathering attention to herself. Ticia had made a choice.
“General.” She said seriously to Rika, who was slowly realizing what choice Ticia had made. “Allow me to be under your orders for one more time.”
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there! I'm back with another chapter!
Surprised by Ticia's decision at the end? I'm sure you are! You can call it stupid too, but sometimes, that's just how some decisions are made...
Well, other than that, we got a bit more info about ECGs and how they're gonna be, and yeah, on the armor side, they are inspired from Greek hoplites from antiquity. Same with the helmet, if you want a closer idea of what their helmet looks like, just search for 'corinthian helmet', since it was my inspiration when I described the changes in the helmet.
I wondered for some time on how to differentiate the ECGs from other clones, and this idea of giving them a look inspired from antiquity popped up, so I rolled with it. I like the idea a lot honestly, just imagine 100 hoplites charging into a futuristic battlefield with futuristic weapons in their hands, what a scene it would be... If they ever enter the battlefield, that is...
Oh well, we'll see how it goes later, but for now, that's it from me for today! I'll see you all in the next chapter!
