Bumping into an old friend isn't necessarily a good thing for a Sarkaz.
I may not be a Sarkaz, but I know to come prepared.
When you're a kid, you're naive and stupid. A little camaraderie is enough to get you handing over your heartfelt trust.
Even if the place where you built that camaraderie stinks as bad as Kazdel.
Eventually, at some point, you grow up. Maybe it's the first time you kill someone, maybe it's the first time you almost bleed out, or maybe it's the first time you crawled out from under a pile of corpses.
You start learning how to live in the grown-up world. You can be ruthless, you use any means necessary, you can even throw your friends under the bus just to live on, and nobody will hold it against you.
And then, that contrived plot comes around, and you bump into an old friend.
Honestly, after all these years apart, even if you're old friends, do you really have that much to talk about?
It's just... when you were young and stupid, you handed over that trust, you built a 'friendship'.
But when you're at that age, you have the unique opportunity to talk about 'friendship' in Kazdel without being laughed at.
Ulšulah, we're done unloading. They're counting everything in at the warehouse.
Tired Sarkaz Worker
Same as before: steel, pure gold, Originium, stuff like that. There hasn't been a personnel transport in weeks. Sounds like most of the forces from the Royal Court in Kazdel are already here.
Tired Sarkaz Worker
That makes things easier on us. Back when the Royal Court guys were floating around, they'd come down here and complain to us, made all sorts of trouble.
Ulšulah
Stop.
Ulšulah
That's enough for now.
Tired Sarkaz Worker
Oh, sorry.
Tired Sarkaz Worker
Hey, uh, Commander, I've been posted to the waystation for six months now. According to the rotation schedule, it's about time for me to—
Ulšulah
I haven't received any new orders for you.
Ulšulah
But... your performance speaks for itself. I could approve three days of leave for you.
Cheering Sarkaz Worker
Ohh♪ Our Ulšulah♪
Ulšulah
But don't let it go to your head, make sure to stay grounded.
Ulšulah
All your life in Kazdel, you were a cobbler. Your greatest accomplishment is nailing soles together. What are you in the running for, unless you're prepared to blow yourself up?
Cheering Sarkaz Worker
Ulšulah♪ You're no fun♪
Ulšulah
Get outta here, kid.
I watch Ulšulah's profile, the corners of her mouth curling up.
Thinking back... back to then.
She carries herself the same way, at least.
The young Sarkaz cobbler approaches Hoederer and slyly hands him a flask.
Slyly Smiling Sarkaz Worker
(Whispering) Hey, brother, hold onto this for me. Ulšulah can't go a day without the stuff.
Slyly Smiling Sarkaz Worker
(Whispering) You're really something, man, walking around with this piece at your side, and still—
*sigh*.
Ines
Watch your mouth, cobbler.
Fleeing Sarkaz Worker
What's sweeter than honey♪ What's toxic as nightshade♪
Looks like he hasn't even had his coming-of-age yet. Those years with Her Highness Theresa did a lot to see these kids grow up nice and sheltered.
And now, he's in a war out here by Londinium. Hah, brother and sister joined hands to create the worst joke in history.
If only it wasn't a joke.
Ines
If you open that notebook, I'm setting it on fire.
Hoederer quietly tucks away his notebook.
Ulšulah
You two haven't changed. That's nice.
Ulšulah
It's been years.
Ines
Since that operation.
Ines
Me, Hoederer and W... the old W, got ourselves into trouble, killed some people we shouldn't have killed.
Ulšulah
It's not just the Scar Market, showing your faces in Kazdel would be trouble for you.
Ulšulah
I see your names there a lot... on the bounty lists. You're famous.
Hoederer
I've never been a cheap date.
Ulšulah
Sure enough. Ines's investment paid off well.
Ulšulah
We were all so young.
Ines
Getting old now?
Ulšulah
I'm a Sarkaz, you're a sheep. In theory, I'm gonna live longer than you, Ines.
Ines
We're all Infected, so this isn't about racial lifespans.
Ulšulah
Good point. I'll drink to you and wish myself good health.
Ulšulah
——ahhh.
Ines
I remember you used to say that if a Sarkaz wants to live long, she needs to keep a clear head, before somebody else trades it for coin.
Ulšulah
Whoever wants it can take it. Victorian, Sarkaz, doesn't matter to me.
She leans in close, sizing me up, then glances at Hoederer.
Ulšulah
You've got wrinkles, Ines.
Ines
I died three times and only got a few wrinkles to show for it. I should thank the myriad souls.
Ulšulah
You don't thank them, you're a sheep.
Ulšulah
As for Hoederer, you're missing an eye.
Hoederer
Wanna see the socket? It's all thanks to the fine Caprinae woman right here.
Ines
Lose an eye, or lose your head. You had a choice.
Ulšulah
I guess Ines broke her heart when she made the move.
Hoederer
...Drop it.
Hoederer
We're old friends getting together again, can't we get back to a nice atmosphere of sentimental nostalgia?
Hoederer
Talk about days gone by, muse on the passage of time...
Hoederer
We could talk about how you became the youngest major in the Military Commission, the driver of this skeletal Feranmut, Commander Ulšulah.
Ulšulah
Yes... we should talk about that. Otherwise, we being who we are, we shouldn't be so warm and friendly.
Ulšulah
And we could also talk about you, these two Sarkaz...
Ulšulah
One Sarkaz traitor, and one sheep. Why are you popping up at a secret Military Commission site?
Ulšulah
I know you were detained by General Manfred, Hoederer.
Ulšulah
And you and Ines, who disrupted our operations, together with an obnoxious little girl planting bombs all around, stole into my territory, in broad daylight.
Ulšulah
As an officer of the Military Commission, I can't very well let that go.
Ines
It's two against one here, Ulšulah.
Ulšulah
Is it? Remind me, where are we again?
Huh, since when?
The girl wasn't like this before.
Ulšulah
You're welcome to try, Ines.
She's wearing a smile, but she's dead serious.
Ulšulah
The most important thing I've learned over the years is to be true to my decisions.
Ines
And Theresis is your decision?
Ulšulah
No, the Military Commission is.
Ulšulah
You decided to go with Babel—Or what is it called now? Rhodes Island? And I decided to stand with the Commission.
Ulšulah
We decided our paths a long time ago.
Hoederer
Ulšulah, we can still—
Ulšulah
No.
Ulšulah
I know what you want, Hoederer, you haven't changed a bit.
Ulšulah
But we're not those kids who strutted around cheery for a whole day on the back of a single bounty anymore.
Ulšulah
We don't get to relax after our missions these days, no idle afternoons on the streets of Kazdel.
Ulšulah
We are Sarkaz... or at least we're citizens of Kazdel. It's our responsibility to make those streets and alleys a better place.
Hoederer
Kazdel is the main issue here, Ulšulah!
Ulšulah
Then you've gotta admit, the Military Commission is the best choice we've got! Even Her Highness Theresa wouldn't disagree!
Ulšulah
It was the two royals who made Kazdel into a nomadic city, the both of them who made it possible for us to even talk about the future of the Sarkaz here!
Ulšulah
It was the same two royals who promoted me, giving a poor girl from the slums a chance to stand in the sight of the Royal Court, among those pure and ancient bloodlines.
Ulšulah
Once trapped by naivety and compromise, the Sarkaz lose our chance at a true homeland.
Ulšulah
There's no room for me to hesitate here.
Ulšulah
The Military Commission, it's... it's the foundation for Kazdel to become a nation.
Hoederer
Will there even be a Kazdel once this war is over?
Ulšulah
All I know is I'm no traitor.
Ines
......
Ulšulah
......
Hoederer
......
Sure, we were prepared to bump into this old friend from the beginning.
Hoederer tacitly crosses from my side to confront this stupid girl, the Major of the Military Commission.
Hoederer
Ten minutes, that's my limit.
Hoederer
Get as much intel on that thing as you can.
I bypass several Sarkaz blocking my way, shadows entwining their ankles.
I leap up, climbing the nerve clusters of this terrifying creature, the slippery feeling making me slightly sick.
My luck has been pretty bad lately, always ending up in the body of some kind of monster. Last time it was the revenant, this time it's whatever this is.
Ugh, I hope I don't have to jump off it this time.
Ines
......
Ines
These 'nails' piercing its spine must be some kind of witchcraft device.
Ines
Are those nerve clusters trembling? Does this thing still have a will of its own?
Spine Guardian
She's here!
Ugh, how are they so quick? They climb up the skeleton in hot pursuit.
The sinews between the bones become something like a ladder for them, with the splinters of fallen bone serving as their weapons.
Ines
Hm, they know war. Ulšulah's trained a real elite unit.
Ines
But they could stand to work in some variety.
Ines
All they've got on me is numbers—
A foreboding instinct pops into my head and I instinctively dodge to the side.
A huge cluster of nerves comes crashing down, and the bone fragments I have been standing on shatter and crumble.
Ines
It's so hard on itself.
Hmph, looks like every bone fragment, every bundle of sinew here could be a deadly weapon. That's a pain.
The nerve cluster wraps around again. I sink my dagger into it so hard that it recoils violently, carrying me high into the air.
Alright, so it has the most basic of reflexes.
Good enough. There's a cabin up ahead.
Ines
Right there!
With all my might, I grab the dangling bundle of nerves and leap away.
When I'm falling fast enough, I suddenly realize that history really does look pretty fragile and hypocritical.
I see a vast, and familiar battlefield. One of the war zones from Kazdel, where the flames are still burning.
I recall the past. Hoederer always wanted to steer clear of the war that tore apart his people. I force myself to turn my head, while he's single-mindedly focused on finding a suitable landing zone.
