5th Interlude: The Battle of Zest's Gate

May hesitates for a moment but follows after Nick when he runs by.

The two of them follow after the soldiers who just entered the house and arrive just in time to see infantrymen hacking away at its previous occupants. There are fives bodies strewn across the living room and the kitchen: one imperial soldier, three men garbed in makeshift armor, and a woman in civilian clothing. One of the men in makeshift armor has his hand pressed on his open throat while he gurgles on his own blood—a soldier quickly finishes him off with a stab to the right temple.

Meanwhile, another infantryman keeps hacking away at the woman on the floor, making a gory mess of her. Just when he stops to catch his breath, he chops at her one last time before turning to face his comrades.

"Robert?! Cedric?!" he asks.

"Robert is down, sir. Don't know about Cedric—"

"Fucking hell! Go check on him! Everyone else, the door! Make sure there aren't more of them in there!"

"Yes, sir!"

Only now do Nick and May notice the hidden door in the wall now swung open. The soldier in charge notices them too.

May takes in the scene and tries to keep the horror off her face as best she can while asking, "Looked like you might need help, so May and Nick come to check. Sorry for your man."

Deception 29 to keep horror off of face.

The soldier who was flung through the window is very much dead, his torso crushed by a large boulder that is now crumbling into pieces. The man who came to check on him takes his pulse and sighs when he realizes that his comrade is gone. After some hesitation, he moves to close his eyes and whispers, "Fuck. Cedric."

Meanwhile, the officer inside the house nods at May and with cold eyes, he tells her, "We're not finished with them yet."

May notices that the officer is bleeding from the side. Most likely because of the kitchen knife the woman is clutching in her right hand. He pays no mind to it and joins the other soldiers in sweeping the house.

May nods and leaves the soldiers to it, leaving the house and looking for Nick. When she finds him she'll indicate they should rejoin the others so they can move on and will do so.

The squad members witness similar scenes on their way back to the harbor until they reach the safety zone the Imperials have established around it. With grim expressions, Marcus, Anne and Jacob keep on looking ahead, doing their best to focus on the safety of the group and their cargo while ignoring the cries coming from the people fighting in the streets. Only Edward seems completely unfazed by the violence around them.

Once they've passed a few imperial checkpoints, the squad members bring the wagon to the Valiant, the warship the Emperor designated for transport of the sensitive cargo. The admiral aboard the ship had been expecting to hear from Strike Team 001, and once Edward informs him of the being imprisoned in the box, he frowns, pensively twirls his mustache, then orders his direct subordinate to move it to their cargo hull.

The rest of the squad, which was patiently waiting on the docks, see several soldiers and sailors begin to move towards them. Jacob disembarks the wagon and hides in May's pocket while Anne makes sure the tarp is covering the glass box that contains the Elemental.

"Mission accomplished," Marcus mutters to himself, clearly unhappy about the events of the day.

Samantha feels the urge to investigate each one, but decides to follow Marcus' lead.

"Our cargo will have to be guarded at all times either way. We can't worry about it. All we can do is wait for them to make a move. At least we have an excuse to depart soon."

May stops mid drink and asks Marcus, "We are leaving soon, right?"

Nick feels a hand on his shoulder, and when he turns to look who it is, he sees Anne, her eyebrows drawn together in worry. The soldiers and sailors quickly surround the wagon, and Anne uses this excuse to pull Nick away from the box.

Meanwhile, Marcus takes his helmet off, sighs, and says to May, "Yes, we are. We'll board the Happy Frog and accompany the Valiant back to Medial. We have to make sure the merchandise reaches the facility."

By facility, every squad member knows that he means the site where the Shield's core is located, which is right in the middle of Medial.

"Good, good." May resumes her drinking.

Samantha tests the aether currents, looking for their Enemy.

Spellcraft 26

Except for the aura distorting and suppressing the magic inside the box, as well as the spells going off in the distance, Samantha detects no mental link in her vicinity, nor among the soldiers and sailors who are taking the Elemental away. It appears the measures the Emperor has taken towards green mages are still effective.

Edward joins his companions and tells them, "The admiral will depart as soon as the box is on board."

"Then we'll stay here until it is," Marcus declares.

The squad members watch as the sailors lift the box with a crane and place it inside the hull. The whole operation takes less than five minutes, during which the rest gets ready to sail off as soon as possible. Once the admiral gives the order and the ship casts off, Marcus turns to his comrades and says, "Well, let's be on our way."

The squad members walk along the docks back to the Happy Frog, but once they reach their ship, they see an unexpected acquaintance of theirs: Ingeburg Springer, the ISA agent who assisted them back in Voluptis three years ago. For her loyalty and efficiency, the Emperor briefed her about the secret war against the Elementals and put her in charge of security for the fairies, the squad members and their families.

She's standing next to the gangway, frantically waiting for them judging by the tick in her right hand. Edward frowns immediately.

Samantha raises an eyebrow. "Springer? What are you doing here?"

The middle-aged woman straightens her posture and says, "I have news. May we speak in private?"

Although she sounds calm, the squad members have known her for three years now, and they realize that something is off about her demeanor. Then they notice that she's hasn't stopped glancing at her surroundings.

"Of course, you can join us, right? We just finished up."

Samantha looks at the Colonel, but also examines her surroundings for obscured movement.

Awareness 21

Samantha detects nothing unusual among the imperial soldiers roaming on the docks; neither does Ingeburg, she thinks.

"Let's borrow the captain's cabin," Marcus says. "I'm sure he won't mind."

The ISA agent nods at the colonel and they board the ship together. Marcus signals to Theodore—who's at the wheel, ready to cast off at a moment's notice—that they're going into his cabin, and the captain smiles and waves back at them.

The instant they're inside and the door is closed, Edward immediately asks, "Where's my son?"

"He's safe," Ingeburg replies, raising a hand to reassure both him and Samantha. She then looks at Jacob, who's just come out of May's pocket. "So are the fairies; Evrard and Théo are taking them to one of our safehouses in Lorinth. They'll arrive there soon."

"What happened?" Anne anxiously asks.

Springer looks at each of the squad members, licks her lips, and says, "The Emperor is dead and Arthur Hammerfist has just ordered that you all be arrested for his assassination."

The news of her father-in-law's death shocks Samantha, and then she frowns. "The bastard! Do you know the details? Where is Triston now?"

Knowledge Politics 31
Which of the emperor's vassals are least likely to believe Arthur's story? Perhaps the better question is which are the most easily fooled, but it's important for us to know who we can turn to.

May almost spits out her wine. Almost. It takes willpower to swallow but she powers through. She lets out a sight of relief that she didn't waste any. After all, it might be some time before she can restock at Medial now that she's a wanted assassin.