Somewhere Someplace

A sizable and wide building, surrounded by its own small wall of redbrick and black fencing. There was a fountain—unworking—in the middle and a simple flagpole though no flag was waving. Compared to the headquarters in Strawberry, this so-called 'old headquarters' was a humble and unobtrusive complex, having no warehouses, barracks, and such; it was largely a single administrative building which itself was no more than two, maybe three, floors high.

Truly, it was still an obvious building in this otherwise emptyish zone, albeit Nilia had to climb atop a steep hill to identify it and ascertain its location. Nevertheless, despite a few strange stares and glares from the Grandberriens guards, she had made it into and through Outer Grandberry finely. On the way, she had also discreetly deployed Fly into circulation.

As Nilia closed the distance, she could immediately see that Company personnel were…all over the place; wagons seemed to be hastily galloping through and forth, with some persons running about with boxes in their hands, a few even tripping. Once she was within range of being able to hear the noise emanating therefrom and surrounding, it was obvious that things within were…

Hectic.

"There you are!" So promptly did a shout come hailing her way. Hathway, having been waiting for a time untold near the front gate, hastily sped to the arriving volunteer. "That took you longer than enough!"

"I give the sorry…" Nilia apologized as Hathway halted before her, herself pausing in kind.

"Where's the Raven?" Hathway, noticing, swiftly interrogated. "She was supposed to bring you here. Why are you alone?"

"I decided to go alone because I was…the first to be talked with, and thus the first to finish. I did not want to keep you waiting longer." Nilia replied. "It would have been pointless to wait."

Hathway groaned in a sigh; "On one side, that is right… But on the other, you shouldn't have been left alone. If it is one thing we learned from Strawberry, it is that you are a lousy navigator, and this is not the city to become lost in—especially not now."

"Hm." Nilia tacitly puffed. "Well, thankfully, your building is the most seeable thing in this empty field."

"You'll have to leave your attitude outside when we enter." Hathway, however, simply chastised before continuing. "Matters have escalated in the time since my messenger was here. We need to get you…" His words trailed off as his eyes drifted down, having noticed… "Your shoes… Why are they muddied? And your dress too… What happened?"

« … » Nilia's attention became slightly evasive… "I…climbed up the tall hill to find here and then slid down it…to get to here."

«[Damn it.]» Hathway pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated though seemingly accepting… "Honestly, it may not even make a difference." He sighed and began to pull Nilia's arm, moving speedily. "Come on. Captain Albert has been waiting for you in the main hall. He'll have much to say, and you may not understand most of it, but try to follow."

Nilia, following as her arm was tugged, could grasp the urgency in his voice. "What is happening? You said that matters have…"

"Trust me." Hathway simply glanced at her as he opened the main gate; "You'll be getting enough of a mouthful from Albert."

-|-

An interesting and elegant interior of a wide space within which were red carpeting and organized desks, two primary hallway corridors left and right, with a stairway directly ahead from the front entrance.

Denizens. People. Professionals, bureaucrats, and staffers. They were all over the place, flaring their arms up and high and down and low—figuratively. Even before entering through that main door, their mutual yells and reciprocating shouts were already apparent; as soon as Hathway had opened that door, such indeed gushed out as if a rushing wave upon their ears. They were emptying desks and cabinets in the offices and rooms; dumping ledgers, papers, and documents into boxes or simply ripping them to shreds.

«[I don't care! Everything must be emptied! Leave nothing behind! The carriages will be here by the morrow!]»
«[Can you make this clearer, what is to be taken and what is to be disposed of?]»
«[Anything incriminating or sensitive! If you don't know, then simply tear and shred! It doesn't matter!]»

«[This is coming so suddenly! I understand where the armies are going, but what of us?]»
«[Either Strawberry or back to New Wellington.]»
«[Might as well take us to Coastfield if the latter—it's closer.]»

«[Stop running around like headless chickens you dunts! We are civilized!]»

Indeed, very hectic.

A Company officer—adorned, endowed, caped, and with black coat—was impatiently waiting with a fidget against the corner of the hall corridor; he immediately spotted the entering two and swiftly stomped his way. "Finally! Trinity in Heaven!" His shouting voice, much like Faulkner and Hathway, seemed awfully fluent in accent. "This is her??" He halted before them.

"Yes." Hathway replied, turning his head to Nilia; "Volunteer de Relevancia, this is Captain Albert. Captain Albert," he returned his head to the officer, "this is volunteer de Relevancia."

"Skip the formalities." The officer—or 'Captain Albert', rather —promptly began to move. "Walk with me, now."

"Uhm…" Nilia ultimately acknowledged and began to walk with him through the halls, Hathway following along.

"I am already familiar with your details, volunteer." Albert, voice aspirated and straightforward, went right to it. "Things here are chaotic, as you see. Word was only received some two hours ago; New Wellington has issued a formal condemnation of Grandberry's actions in Humbleberry. The duke's cooperation has been thrown into uncertainty, and a crisis is anticipated; this headquarters is being preemptively shuddered, consequently."

"The bulk of the staff here had already been transferred to Strawberry as part of the general relocation, but the facility remained in use." Hathway chimed himself in; "But now the Company's pulling out in full, besides the bare essentials and emissariate. The campaign's chief stationing and field officership will be relocating to the assembly camp."

Both voices were as haste as their walking pace.

"Yes, but that is only today's events and the least of your problems." Albert so stated, voice still directed at Nilia. "As you may already know, the officership arrived here earlier than anticipated… Within the last week alone, they have already sorted out most matters regarding the campaign. As expected, they decided on a unified commanding structure to oversede general responsibilities for all involved detachments regardless of affiliation."

"Uhuh… I see." Nilia was trying to follow along with both their steps and words, truly.

"Now, I was sent here specifically to petition myself to be the Adjunct Officer of Alternative Personnel Management and Extra-Regimental Recruitment, a role that I have been hitherto given in previous unified campaigns." Albert breathlessly continued on; "This was paramount because, while you are a volunteer specialist embedded within the Thirteenth, your details and penultimate affiliation remain confidential, and you are nevertheless categorized as an extra-personnel civilian; therefore, any potential military usages, involvement, or roles in a declared unified campaign must be approved by that campaign's Adjunct of Alternative Personnel Management and Extra-Regimental Recruitment." He paused for only a slim break. "However, I did not get that position."

"Oh…" Well, that did not sound optimal.

"In fact," Albert went on, "no officer of the Exiled Legions was given any high positions in this campaign's unified command in what can only be described as an intentional machination by the New Wellington officership." His breaths slowed, though only slightly. "And because news likes to travel at once, I only discovered the likely motivation this morning… The Congress of Aprodisa is convening far sooner than scheduled—in merely thirty days. Emissaries have already been sent on the fastest boats in the navy. But this has undoubtedly placed immense pressure on New Wellington."

"For the last three years now," Hathway again chimed in to add more context, "Elkland has been pressuring an investigation into the United Central Company. One of her stated reasons is the over-involvement of the Legion in the Company's military matters and purported influences."

"Uhuh…" Truth be told, this was perhaps becoming quite a lot to process at once… Their voices, relentless, offered little room for reflection.

"And I am confident New Wellington is fully anticipating that Elkland will have her way in the coming Congress." Albert went on; "An enforced inquiry into the occupation was already an inevitability, but now more especially since the Royalist Colonies have formally declared responsibility for the attack."

"Wait, hold." Nilia, having immediately caught, needed a moment's pause. "So, that means… The bombardment… You know who is responsible, now?"

"Yeah," Hathway replied, "we've known—or it was speculated. But the ships were flagless and managed to evade interception; so, we had to wait. But, yes, it's official: it was New Elkland. She has become increasingly belligerent as of late over the slave trade."

Ah… Thus, 'New Elkland', not plain 'Elkland'… Right, two of them.

"Which is certainly why the Congress is convening early; there is a crisis brewing in the New World." Albert so remarked; "And what transpired here is a clear indication that New Wellington is taking preemptive preparations for an Elkland-led Congressional inquisition by minimizing the Exiled Legions' involvement." He cleared his throat and swallowed to moisten his dried voice. "Now, that all pushed aside, this outcome has been a major cut to what Colonel Faulkner was hoping for, because now in order for you to participate in any befitting capacity, it must go through the officer who did get the adjunct position… Renegade Captain Butler."

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"…renegade?" Nilia tilted her head…

"When Elkland withdrew from the Company's charter," Hathway answered, "she outlawed any association by her citizens and demanded all attached personnel return home, but some of her officers and soldiers here decided to ignore that and stay with the Company, becoming renegades."

"But that is barely even the least of the issue with Butler, since Elkland would consider you and I renegades too." Albert thus stated. "Butler is a folk's royal; his heritage is with the old Elkander nobility who were unable to flee after the overthrow. This makes him particularly conservative and a staunch chivalrist." The captain turned and gave Nilia a blunt eye. "Volunteer de Relevancia, while the Thirteenth and much of the Legion is able to see your heart's merits, he is very unlikely to see past your chest. While I already sent word to Faulkner regarding the…predicament, there is not much he may be able to do."

"Even though the colonel outranks Butler," Hathway again chimed in to contextualize, "because this is a consolidated cross-affiliation campaign of the Company's collective armies, the adjunct and appointed positions of the unified command supersede traditional ranks. The detachments of the Thirteenth involved in the campaign are subordinate to the joint-command in their specific areas of responsibilities."

"I see…" Nilia just acknowledged, her mind still trying to parse and keep up… "That is a strange…thing."

"Yeah," Hathway nominally agreed, "it sounds stupid, but it's better than each army becoming unnecessarily competitive instead of coordinated—which was the case too many times before… So, if the Adjunct of Alternative Personnel and Extra-Recruitment says we can't involve you, then we can't involve you; Faulkner cannot override him."

"And Butler is perhaps the worst person who could have possibly gotten that position, at least for us." Captain Albert sighed, once again looking at Nilia... "Now, we will introduce you and try to convince him, but it is very unlikely to go forward." He paused before a door, the other two doing the same. "Hathway has told me of your conduct in Strawberry, and you must be at your absolute best if you even want the slimmest of chances."

"It is understood…" Nilia acknowledged… They were speaking as if she was the one who wanted to be their 'instrument' or whatever. Though, if it was one thing that was practically confirmed by this, it was that her being this so-called 'spearhead' was hardly a Company desire, but one of this 'Exiled Legion', or rather…maybe only Colonel Faulkner and his Thirteenth.

-|-

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Knocks so knocked at the elegant office door.

«[Who is it?]» So hailed the voice beyond.

«[Captain Albert.]»

«[Oh! Albert! Come in. Come in.]»

The door opened, and the three thus stepped into a small and practical office that nevertheless befitted, the door quietly shutting behind. Seated at his desk with a feathered pen in hand was a slightly chubby but not quite officer with a twirly mustache and bushy beard. His coat was not black, rather a yellowish color and was stylized differently.

«[Captain Butler.]» Albert greeted with a respectful nod that was almost a slim bow.

«[Albert! Here I thought you would never speak to me, you fauxy revolutionary. Come to give a late congratulations?]» Though, before Albert could reply, the yellowish coat-wearing captain quickly saw… «[Ah…]» Stroking his twirly stash, he leaned in with curiosity. «[Hello there…]»

With her head down and demeanor humble, Nilia was standing behind and in between both Hathway and Albert—a specific orientation Albert had stressed.

«[A masquerade… Peculiar. What is the purpose for bringing such a specimen to my office.]» Captain Butler looked at Captain Albert. «[Is she yours? You're introducing me to your wife, now? Or is she his?]» He sighed, leaning back. «[Preemptively, no. You cannot bring your wives to the front. They must remain here for the time being. Although, you aren't scheduled for withdrawal yet, aren't you?]»

Albert cleared his throat. «[To the contrary,]» he began to say, «[she is neither of our wives. As you can see from her armband, she is a civilian volunteer from Coastfield.]»

«[Is she now?]» Butler momentarily glimpsed at Nilia… «[Well, that is surprising, considering this is not Coastfield. So, what is she doing here? Who is she? Why is she masked so?]»

Because they were speaking what was likely a form of that 'Elklander' language, Nilia could broadly understand what they were saying due to its apparent closeness with her secondary language, even if theirs was heavily accented and phonemically weirder.

"Uhm… I am—" Nilia opted to at least introduce herself, yet was so promptly elbowed by Hathway.

"Shut it." he sternly whispered.

«[…]» Indeed, Butler stared. «[Hm. I can tell this one is unmarried. She has not learned to mind her turn. Though,]» he smiled, «[considering she is from Coastfield, poor girl has probably lost her ways, having been submitted to unbecoming labor…]» He returned his eyes to Albert, sterning. «[And, I must stress again, Albert: this is not Coastfield. There is no cruel emergency to force the barrel's scraping.]»

«[She has already been, with the assent of Olfred, Rebelle, Royçois, Daysman, and Renard, transferred to the oversight of the Thirteenth as a specialist volunteer.]» Albert explained, emphasizing; «[She is both capable and dignified, I only need you to hear us out.]»

«[Hm.]» Yet Captain Bulter turned his lips, hands crossed. «['Specialist volunteer', that novel categorization has Faulkner spelled in each letter… Fine. I will hear your…petition. But she waits outside.]»

-|-

Nilia's back leaned against the wall whilst she waited outside; the door had been firmly shut closed, yet she could hear the voices piercing out… They were quite audible.

«[Are you mad?! I don't care of her permissions and approvals, I will not permit a civilian woman to be sent to the front—let alone as a combatant! She does not belong there!]»

«[She is a former adventurer with proven prowess and is more than capable of—]»

«[Are you really comparing us to the savage practices of the natives? We are a civilized corporation, and this is a civilized army! Olfred may have forgotten, but I have not! It is the role of men to fight and die for their wives and daughters, not sending them to war. Our understanding of this basic principle is what makes us civilized. If we allow women to fight and die, who next? Our children too? We might as well, if nothing has meaning!]»

«[As we said, she is no ordinary woman—]»

«[But she is still a woman, and a woman in the end is a docile and delicate creature who will easily break under witnessing such horrors; I shall not allow that—I cannot allow that. It breaks my heart to even fathom what that girl had to go through already enough in Coastfield—she looked lost on the inside, by Heaven's name!]»

«[How could you have been in this land as long as you have and still not understand that the women of this continent are very different from the women of the homeland.]»

«[Oh, yes. Again, comparing to these primitive medievals. It does not matter how 'strong' they may paint themselves or how capable or whatever else: it is the principle, and I am a principled man. Women do not belong on the battlefield, let alone any involvement in a campaign against such a vicious and horrible enemy. It does not matter if a woman can fight, we have men who can naturally do a better job—who are meant to do that job.]»

«[With all due respect, sirs, if I may interject.]»

«[Go ahead, sergeant-major.]»

«[We don't want her to fight or be in any position of danger… She has an astute eye and impeccable perception. We believe she can be suited for investigation of sites and providing advisory directions to our infantry. She is a specialist.]»

«[And a woman. How much more must I stress this? We have fully specialized men more than capable of providing equal services who have been demonstrated and tested. Why do we need this woman to do a worser job? And I am not faulting her; this is just the law of nature. Women have their roles which are suited for them, and men have ours.]»

«[But you have utilized elvish women before…]»

«[Elves are a wholly different race, Albert; don't be obtuse. And much like with mankind, elvish women have their roles and elvish men have theirs, and it so happens nature has made elvish women gifted scouts and shooters with higher senses. That is not the case for the women of mankind, who are pliant and limited.]»

«[Oh, but you have worked with freelancers plenty of times, likewise…]»

«[Freelancers are completely different… Can this woman cast sorcery spells?]»

«…»
«…»

«[Hm. I stand rested. You both are aware of the gravity of our situation. Everything must go perfectly, and I cannot in good consciousness approve sending a woman to the front. Even if you demonstrated that she is so 'extraordinary', I would still be hesitant from the principle alone.]»

«[I respect your principles and moral convictions, Butler, but surely you must be able to see pragmatism?]»

«[Oh, you want to speak of pragmatism? Fine. Let's outline every reason why sending such a woman to the camp full of men far from their wives and lovers would be a distraction for their discipline and would present a liability to both reputation and efficacy.]»

This back-and-forth went back and forth, every point and every argument rendered nullified by Butler's single unbreakable counter; that single constant regarding her that continuously brought absurd relevancies…

Her humiform.

Always, always… It was her humiform—her biological sex. That was the problem; that was his problem; and Captain Butler was going to bend anything and everything to justify his inflexible attitudes, logical incoherence notwithstanding. This should have perhaps been a predicable outcome, but such continued to nevertheless bewilder her deep down within… She really could not comprehend.

At some point, Nilia stopped paying attention; for their voices and words thereof circled around and around, the same things repeated even if reworded…

Eventually, that door came swinging open; Albert and Hathway stepped out back into the hall, the former passive-aggressively shutting the door.

"Well, that went as expected…" Albert muttered and simply began to walk, Hathway following.

Nilia, likewise, began to follow behind, yet her mask-obscured eyes remained more downfaced. "Did I…ruin things…by trying to talk?"

"No, you didn't." Hathway reassured, his voice seemingly soft and sympathetic.

"To the contrary," Albert thus spoke, "he actually took a liking to you, which is perhaps the problem; we overcorrected with your femininity…"

Truly, sometimes there was no winning in these affairs. "So, what is to happen now?" Nilia pondered. "It is obvious that I am no longer to be this 'spearhead' of yours…"

"We wait." Albert replied. "Faulkner will figure out something, assuredly—or I will. I will try to push this up the chain, but Butler's beliefs are hardly the exception…"

"The Thirteenth is the exception…" Hathway remarked.

"For now, we will keep you here…until we have this figured out." Albert thus stated. "While your deployment in the campaign has been denied, Butler has no say in what we do with you beyond that; you are still a volunteer specialist under the Thirteenth's oversight, therefore mine. So, I am able to keep you here."

"I and my troop will have to report to the assembly camp, though." Hathway stated. "The colonel formally committed us to the campaign, and by doing so relinquished his control to the unified command; he can't simply take us out. But Captain Albert will stay alongside Butler and the other remaining officers."

"I see…" Nilia acknowledged. "Thus, I am to remain here…to do what? Nothing besides waiting?"

"Although this headquarters is being shuddered, it will remain in essential minimum usage to continue serving as the Company's embassy to Grandberry." Albert explained, his eyes then glancing at her. "You are literate and multi-tongue; the skeleton staff here and the emissariate will be shorthanded. For the time being, you can make yourself useful by helping with their administrative duties. I will allow it."

Nilia sighed… "I see… It is understood. I will provide my assistance, then…"

Truly… It was as if these denizens could never make up their minds or commit… Nothing ever seemed to go the way she was told it would, and she was actually expecting…at least some consistency from the Company's military; that they would not be like the Bureau. Though, thinking of the Bureau, no doubt they were going to appreciate this outcome… Her being unutilized and kept trapped within this building, not roaming beyond to cause incidents or make problems…

And, indeed, she could already predict that she was in for one long boring ride ahead.

Ah…
As always, deep within you crave what you detest.
Worry not, trooper.
If you are unable to get to them.
They can always be brought to you…