Sarxas Kirtiru's Story

Gracchus could not see Oriana or where she went, so he figured she went somewhere urgent or something. This left him disappointed, though he knew he still had to escort the Chieftain. Standing up and looking in her direction, he said, "well, there's no point staying in this building, now. We better pack up and get out of here to meet up with the Air and Ground Party. Most of them should be at the refreshment area of Diplomacy Square. Knowing Isaac, though, he may be somewhere away from that area, up to mischief or trouble or something. Hoefully, nobody got hurt while I was gone."

While escorting the Chieftain around Diplomacy Square, the elf thought about what Oriana said to him earlier. It stung, yet he expected it. Suddenly, a child pointed to him and said there was a cool 'wild man' nearby. Gracchus became curious and looked in the kid's direction, only to spot Oriana. This made him blush while he held his hands out to frantically say, "I wasn't following you, Oriana! Really, I wasn't! I am just escorting Chieftain Malinha!"

-----

Agathe gave a wide-eyed look towards Cain when he poked her. Listening to his words, she blushed when she was called radiant. She turned her head to the side, eyes closed, while shyly grinning. with her hand on her bottom lip. glancing back at him, her hands on the table, she told him. "I guess you're right. Benjlakk is known to be a mediator between countries. things will probably work for the better." She glanced around to see what Cain was referring to, her smile widening in pleasant surprise. "Oh, that's right! There are certainly a ton of people from across Myrstrarkia getting along! Even the Feliniri and Caninisians are doing quite well together here! Normally, their rivalry keeps them apart." Agathe place a finger at the side of her forehead while she glanced upwards. "Speaking of Caninisians, I wonder what Isaac is up to?" looking once again back at Cain, she told him with a smile. "He's like a little brother to me, a devious one at that." The woman giggled at the thought of the Caninisian sti9rring up some sort of trouble or mischief; it was very typical of him.

-----

Seaking of Isaac, a Feliniri Immigrant draftee in Brown Wing Team was patrolling an out of the way area of Diplomacy Square that consisted of trees and bushes. This tiger woman, Sarxas, decided it was safe to go on all fours and look around for anything to play with, her kitten mentality kicking in. A butterfly came by, so she pounced at it while cutely meowing and giggling. eventually, though, her eyes came upon a wolf which had the scent of sentience. Oh, crud... a Caninisian... Right when she thought she woke him up, she stood on her two feet while shouting, "I... I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to wake you up! I was just chasing a butterfly for a moment! I'm really sorry!" Her eyes became wide like a kitten's while she waited for the male Caninisian's response.

-----

Zechariah, Aaron, and Kyle were startled by the sound on feet landing on the concrete, quickly turning their eyes in the direction of the sound before Aaron sighed a breath of relief, the Sergeant of the Lion Team saying to May and Kyle, "It's just Private Alymer."

Kyle put away his pistol upon hearing it was Cralyn. "You should be more careful, buddy. We didn't know you were sitting on the roof of that building."

Zechariah sat back down with Azalea and hoped this Cralyn would not tell anyone of what he saw of the Eagle of Mercy and the Princess. Nothing naughty happened, but it would only take just one wrong witness of them together that for the secret of the relationship to spill out early. Hopefully, that would not be the case.

Issac Miller
Issac was awoken to a voice. He slowly put his head up and looked around to where the voice came from. When he spotted the girl he stood turning back into his human form. "What?" he said as he yawned

Sarxas tilted her head for an instant before laughing nervously and placing a hand behind her neck. "Oh, never mind." Glancing at this Canninisian, she found him particularly handsome. Too bad he wore a Mysticaran uniform, specifically a Natrulkra one. She read about how that tribe was particularly powerful, military-wise, lending to the overall Mysticaran battle strength significantly. Plus, with how Benjlakk stays away from war most of the time, she knew there would be few encounters with Mysticarans under normal circumstances. The tiger woman honestly had no clue how to go about this, as it was the first time she had seen a Caninisian besides her adoptive brother.

"Uh..." Even while uncertain, she had this soft grin friends told her was contagious, capable of making others smile. "Well, why don't we get to know each other for a bit. I mean, it's not everyday that a Caninisian and Feliniri meet each other, let alone as residents of countries besides our lands of origin. I'm Sarxas, Sarxas Kirtioru. Sarxas is Feliniri for "Sarah", so you can call me that, if you want."

Issac loked at the girl with a strange look in his eyes. THis happened to him once when her met his girlfriend that he had to leave behind. He inched tiwards her slowly "Im Issac" he said in a rather impressive voice. He looked her over scanning her body almost. He felt as though he was drunk. Oh, how he hated that feelign. HE knew of love

If cats could blush, it would not show. Sarxas noticed how hesitant Isaac was in his movements and wondered what was going on in his head. Stay calm. He hasn't made an advance. No problem, just don't scream. She kept her anxiety hidden by her soft smile. "Nice to meet you, Isaac." Spontaneous, isn't he? She made a mental to read up on Caninisian culture at a later time. For now, she focused on the conversation. "Well, uh, you wouldn't happen to like seafood, would you? I know a stall nearby which makes some great teriyaki salmon. The guy who runs it can also make some excellent teriyaki chicken, if you'd prefer something that over seafood. I mean, The District of Justicra is pretty close to towns along the coast, which means everything seafood around here is pretty fresh. Along the way to that stall, we can talk about what we like to do, and stuff."

Her eyes sort of glittered in excitement. "You up for it?"

Issac smiled politely, "Anything dead im up for!" he said. He appeared to have no problem with her.

Sarxas saw the polite smile and knew from his words that he would love it. She felt a little better. "Okay! Right this way!" Along the way, she told him. "I actually have an adoptive brother whom is a Caninisian. My parents took him in when he was found on a beach in Felinir, where we used to live before we moved here to Benjlakk." Her eyes turned a little sad. "As you can probably guess, our former neighbors back in the Feliniri States sometimes looked down upon the adoption happening in the first place due to the economic and athletic rivalry between Caninisia and Felinir. So, that is why my family immigrated to this country: to avoid all that fuss. Unfortunately, I did not spend long with my family while here in Benjlakk before I was drafted to repel an invasion upon the Benjlakki region of Fertaninn that was conducted by Metargo, two years ago. The invasion was stopped, but my selective service term is not exactly over, yet." Placing a hand behind her neck, she shrugged and stated, "But, that aside, Benjlakk's a pretty decent place to live in. Anyway, what about you? Did something happen for you to immigrate to Mysticara? I noticed you are wearing a Natrulkra Tribal Force uniform, so that's why I'm asking." Whatever he had to say next, she would nod in confirmation that she understood.

Once at the stall she mentioned, she ordered two teriyaki salmon meals, one for Isaac and one for herself. With that paid for, she found a table bench nearby for the two of them to sit at before sitting down next to him and pulling a plastic fork to use while pick up a piece of her salmon and brought it to her mouth, savoring the flavor as she slowly chewed and than swallowed. "Mmmm..." Turning to Isaac, she asked, "How are you liking yours?"

Issac listened to her speak but as usual; only about half listened. When she asked him a question he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'd rather not talk about it." he said. When they sat down he didn't bother to even use a fork. he just dug into it with his tongue and his fingers. he looked at her "just fine" he said

Zechariah felt the poke from Aza and snapped out of his anxiety, at least for the moment. He did not react to his hand only briefly being touched. Zecahriah calmed down further once Cralyn left. His soft grin return. "Yeah, jumpy kind of described that." After a small laugh, he posed the query, "You were saying?"

----

Aaron and Kyle went back to setting up a defensive perimeter to protect the Princess when Cralyn left. There was no point in leaving her without protection due to the possibility, however slight, of someone pulling something. Whatever happened, their current task was simple.

----

Benjamin noticed the light from Clarissa and went wide-eyed. Was that what he thought it was? Eventually, he decided he was only seeing things. Therefore, he did not ask about it. Instead he changed the subject. "So, Clarissa, is there anything you particularly enjoy doing in your spare time? I mean, travel is probably one of them, but..." He cleared his throat and tried to think of more to say, yet failed at it.

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Agathe giggled a little at what Cain said. "Oh, we aren't related by blood, though I still have that sister mentality around him. Checking on him is easy enough for me. I know a spell which can help me observe things without being there." She closed her eyes, a blue ball of light forming in front of her so Cain could see what she was seeing. Seeing the refreshment section, she noticed Isaac was not sitting where he was before. After some random sites popped up, she finally spotted Isaac with a Feliniri girl whom was in a Benjlakki mech pilot uniform. This made Agathe laugh a bit. "Well, looks like he made a friend, or did he develop a crush on that tiger woman? Either way, it is kind of cute." When she opened her eyes, she glanced over at Cain with a soft grin. "You know, speaking of families, I am a little curious about yours. Pardon me if I am delving into something personal."

----

Sarxas' smile grew wider at seeing Isaac behave the way he was with his food. It reminded her so much of her adoptive brother. "Glad to hear that." Taking a few more bites of her own salmon, she noticed a butterfly come their way. It fluttered around the pair while she looked at it with undivided attention. Once it landed on her nose, the Feliniri girl giggled prior to the insect flying away. Turning her eyes toward Isaac with a slight grin, she said, "Sorry, I still have a lot of kitten in me."

----

President noticed the Admiral and grinned a little. Sandra was one of the more experienced naval officers he knew, one which he could respect more than the more rowdy individual which disrupted the conference after Leonardo spoke and threatened the order within the room. "I have time, Admiral Lionel. Is something the matter?"

----

Saul left the room with Calida and Leonardo. Once out the building, a few members of Lion Team were present to escort the trio. He made no mention of his lack of knowledge on why Leo was to be there, as it did not matter, at that point. He had suspiscions that Prime Minister Lopez may have withheld that information from the family, yet he could not prove it. Whatever the scenario, he focused on his family's protection while in the city, since the conference was over, and he realized one of the few idiots who tried anything could be dangerous. He was confident Azalea was well protected, though he had his own handy pistols in case of an assassination attempt. His eyes surveyed his surroundings for anything or anyone suspicious, as was customary of him when not in Metargo.

----

While the protagonists from all three superpowers conversed and went about their business in Benjlakk, three Angels made their way to an old, well-protected temple which was well out of the way of mortal affairs, situated within the very deserts of Omegara. This temple's surroundings consisted of human figures enveloped in a holy energy which left them frozen. These were the sealed warriors from the Era of Origins from two distinct tribes that eventually formed Benjlakk and Metargo, still trapped alive in spite of the several thousands of years that passed. This was part of the curse to the men who desecrated sacred ground, as emplaced by the Angels who made the seal: the sealed away warriors would not move a muscle, yet they would not die, either.

The three Angels landed in front of the gates to the Temple of the Deity, where only Angels and any of the Deity's faithful (or, of course, people he has foreseen to be paramount to something critical) could enter. The eldest of the three angelic brothers, Ferkaakt, opened the gates for the younger ones to go through before shutting them again. The youngest, Jerhasz, tensed his muscles while the one aged in between, Karryytya, glanced around in astonishment.

Jerhasz closed his eyes shut while speaking. "The Deity must have been here often before he left us in charge of protecting Mortal Kind in his absence. I can feel his power."

Karrytya shrugged. "Eh, it's not much different from the Heavens."

"Well, yes, but..."

Ferkaakt hushed the two. "Are we going to argue over the Deity's former presence here, or are we going to decipher his prophecy on our current predicament with the mortal nations?"

With that, all three Angels went to the Hall of Prophecies, where the Deity's predictions and such were stored in an extensive archives for the Angels to look over and read to determine what must be done. It was not uncommon for the Deity to predict the fate of mortal nations, or even when a war would begin. Due to so0 many prophecies made, the search for the one the brothers were looking for would take time.

After hearing whatever Azalea had to say, he did not even have time to respond when he suddenly received a message from a member of Brown Wing Team. Whatever it was had to be important. The voice message went as follows:

Zechariah, we have a problem! We just received two distress calls from two different locations at Hawk Street, on the southern side of town! They each claim people in military uniform are holding them hostage for secrets on the Benjlakki Armed Forces' military technology! I couldn't get anything else from the transmissions other than torture is going on as we speak! I've sent the coordinates to you while sending this message! We better get to those locations, and fast! Kenneth Nadab, out!

Zechariah glanced towards Azalea with a soft grin, though his eyes expressed a hint of sadness at the two of them having to go their separate ways, again. "I'll keep in touch, okay?" With that, he sprinted off while sending a message to every Brown Wing Team Member about the scenario, ordering everyone to set their weapons to stun.

With that out of the way, Zechariah had to send a distress call to one of the military headquarters in town. The nearest to the scenes was the Naval Headquarters. Knowing that, he set an announcement on the facility's speakers which went as follows:

Naval Headquarters, this is Zechariah Malachi, from Brown Wing Team! We received two distress calls from two different locations on Hawk Street that cvilians are being held hostage in abandoned buildings, the coordinates indicated on the map! All personnel available are requested to assist with rescuing them and finding out who it is that violated our neutrality!

-----

Agathe noticed the cold look Cain gave and frowned. I must've touched on something I shouldn't have... Hearing what he said caused her to express a hint of sadness. "Sorry to hear that."

-----

Gracchus relaxed a little when Oriana said it was okay, though he still did not enjoy the cold look she gave. When she gave the suggestion of coming with her and the orphans, he casually nodded. "I don't see any harm in that." turning toward Malinha, he asked her, "Yes, no, maybe? What say you chieftain?"

-----

Benjamin listened to whatever Clarissa told him before be heard his brother call for Brown Wing Team to head to two different locations to rescue civilians. "Dang. Sorry, I better go, here's an extra communications devise." He gave instructions on how to use it then said he would call her, soon, on it. That out of the way, he sprinted towards one of the buildings. There, he and his squadron stormed inside and were met by elemental blasts. Mysticarans... Who'd have thought they'd go this far?

-----

President Anderson listened to whatever Sandra had to say. Before anything could be said back, however, one of the security officers ran up to him with the report of Naval Headquarters being notified of civilian held hostage in abandoned buildings at Hawk Street, the coordinates for both buildings provided. President Anderon nodded with a solemn nod, then told Sandra, "We should probably handle the task at hand before we discuss this matter further."

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Zechariah and two squadrons met at the other buildings, weapons set to stun, ready for further instructions. The sergeant could only hope reinforcements would arrive. If this, this would prove difficult.

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Aaron could see armored hovercraft above the city while he was on guard for any assassins. Kyle raised an eyebrow while wondering what could be going on. First, Zechariah had to leave because of an emergency, then suddenly this happens? What was going on?

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Sarxas listened to whatever Isaac next said before hearing from zechariah about an emergency to attend to. From what she heard, it seemed serious. Bringing out her pistols and setting them to stun, her expressions turned from happy and kitten-like to serious and angry. "I better go. Someone's violated Benjlakk's neutrality policies, and I need to be there to rescue some civilians. If there is time later today, I'll come back to talk to you."

Throwing away her plate and what was left of the salmon she had, she sprinted off with incredible speed. She met up with Zechariah and leaned on the wall where everyone in her squadron was. Whatever it was that would happen, the tiger Feliniri immigrant was prepared for.

Agathe felt a little better, until she noticed she shadow then heard what Cain said next. That can't be good. Looks like I better get Isaac then head back to the Asgarda. Running in the direction of where she tracked the werewolf, she found him by himself, then stood in front of him.

"We better get out of here, Isaac! So many hovercraft in the sky can only mean someone violated Benjlakk's neutrality! It's a good thing I made the finishing touches on your new Valkyrie Golem, because if one of the Tribal Forces is involved in whatever incident it is in this city, our country shall have made a dangerous enemy!" She made sure the boy was following her before shouting, "Hurry! The rest of the Air and Ground Party should already be on its way to the ship, and we need to catch up!"

----

Gracchus was unable to get an answer from the Chieftain, for he heard hovercraft beginning to enter the sky. He may not know much about machines, but what he did know was that vehicles of such design as he saw up there were used in critical emergencies where the Benjlakki military had to be involved. His suspicions were confirmed when Cam came up and reported that there was a hostage situation. "Looks like someone has violated Benjlakk's neutrality. I do know of some Tribal forces whom tend to be brash. If any such troops are involved, we may have out warmed our welcome here." Clenching his fists, he furiously added, "I swear, even without fighting, this war gets out of hand far too quickly! I just hope my hunches are wrong!" He used one of his comm orbs and commanded all Air and Ground Party members to get back to the Asgarda at once, then take off once everyone is accounted for. "Chieftain Malinha, it is time we leave!" Turning toward Orianna with sad eyes, he told the diplomat. "I'm sorry we have to part under such circumstances. Until we meet again." He gave the Natrulkra salute, which was basically a fist pound to his chest before lifting the same arm to hold his hand flat and diagonally across his forehead, then grabbed Malinha's wrist and sprinted towards the ship, expecting the rest of the unit he had with him to be there without a moment to lose.

----

Aaron glanced in Azalea's direction with his usual emotionless look he gave when around royalty. "Benjlakk does not resort to hovercraft of that caliber floating around unless something serious was going on. My guess is, some morons from either our side or Mysticara's violated this country's neutrality. Military hovercraft like what's up there are resorted to when dealing with hostiles in uniform, or some other threat requiring military attention. I've seen scenarios like this during simulations before our previous war." The former Ghost came by, and the Sergeant gritted his teeth at what Cain said to him, even as the specialist left. "Since when was he in charge of Lion Team?"

Kyle shrugged, "Well, at least he's helping out in the way he knows how."

"That's not an excuse in my book! Unless the King himself says otherwise, I give the orders to the whole unit!"

This was when Private Scipio snapped and slapped Aaron hard in the face. "We've got bigger problems, right now, sir! Get off your high horse, already! I'm getting sick of it!"

Aaron would normally snap, too, but this was different. For once, he came to his senses and realized Kyle had a point. Perverted and undisciplined as Private Scipio was, he had his moments where he displayed a degree of leadership. The Sergeant nodded in agreement. "You're right, Kyle, we do have bigger problems. That takes precedence. We better escort the Princess towards the shuttle, wait for the rest of the royal family, then get out of here with the rest of Lion Team, the entire royal family with us." Using his commlink, he contacted Cralyn. "Private Alymer, we're escorting the royal family out of here! Find The King, Queen, and Prince, then help Specialist Numi escort them to the shuttle! We'll meet you there with Princess Azalea coming with us to that location! You got that, Private? I don't want the royal court even close to Benjlakki territory if some idiot from our own nation is involved in whatever incident it is that brought the attention of the Benjlakki Armed Forces!"

----

Saul heard footsteps coming in the direction of himself, Leo, and Calida, then saw Cain, this time with his mask off. He could only hope the man did not do anything that could jeopardize the diplomatic situation, as he had a tendency to overdo things. "Cain, is something wrong?" He then noticed the hovercraft and realized the severity of the situation. "I see. The Benjlakki military is looking into something of importance. I believe it is time we leave, and Azalea should no doubt be on her way to the shuttle, knowing how Aaron, Kyle, and May are about these matters." Turning towards Leonardo, he said, "I do not know what is exactly happening, Leo, but I guess this is a mixed blessing. Time in the shuttle will give us the opportunity to talk more like father and son, something I should have done long ago." A gentle smile towards Calida, he said to her, "Well, darling, I guess we better go."

----

Benjamin and the rest of the squad searched for cover while returning fire to the Mysticarans in the building. Absorption fields were activated to take the hits from the spells. This would not be an easy fight.

----

President Anderson heard Sandra's question, looked at the screen, then sighed. "It appears both the military and police are already involved." Picking up a commlink, he contacted Zechariah. "Sergeant Malachi, this is Howard Anderson. Admiral Lionel and I are formulating a plan for your location as we speak. reinforcements are on their way, it seems."

----

Zechariah heard President Anderson, then replied with, "Roger, Mr. President. Awaiting instructions." Glancing in Ayoto's direction, he told her, "I can tell you this won't be easy. We're dealing with foreign military, and we'll find out who soon enough."

Sarxas added to the conversation. "Whoever they are, they won't escape trial, that's for sure."

----

A member of Lion Team came up to Max and told him, "Sir, it's time to go. We need to head back to the shuttle."