Unsteerable Heart and Ethnic Fault Lines
The truck with the broken steering wheel let out a strange noise as Tiny Bell whipped her head toward Kelun Phrase, speaking in a listless voice.
"Phrase. Nice to see you again."
"Looking forward to working with you, Captain."
"Uh... yeah."
With that, she sat down and immediately buried her face in her arms on her desk, saying nothing for a long while.
Why is she like this?
She lay there motionless, arms pillowing her head, for nearly a few minutes. It was a far cry from the cold, formidable impression she'd left during their brief encounter in Nantigar or her stern demeanor in training.
Just as he'd mentioned at the café a few days ago, Kelun chuckled wryly, thinking he'd been arrogant to judge her based on such a short time.
She still doesn't recognize me.
If he'd had the chance to tell her his name back then, would this reunion have been more dramatic? The thought tugged at him, but he had no desire to say anything.
For now, just like this—senior and junior. He was grateful to walk the same path as a senior who'd endured the same trials, even if by chance. And he hoped he'd find something enduring within it all.
Yet deep in that joy, at the core of his heart, an unquenched hatred still lingered.
Shhhk—
At that moment, the archway door slid open with a soft whoosh of air. A tall man with jet-black hair stood like a pillar, arms laden with a thick stack of documents.
"Good afternoon."
The familiar bright voice belonged to Adolf Mandel.
His expression was especially cheerful today. Not only would he get to see Bell regularly from now on, but the nagging unease that had occasionally bothered him lately had vanished like mist.
Adolf simply attributed it to seeing her so vividly up close more often.
Kelun greeted him with a bright smile too. "Come on in, Senior."
Adolf grinned, set the documents on his desk, and began dividing them up for each person.
Only then did Bell poke her head out from between her arms. Adolf, spotting her, gave a lazy wave. "Hello, Captain."
Bell slowly straightened up and replied indifferently. "...Yeah, hi."
Just two words. Nothing more.
Adolf beamed as if that were enough to make his day.
Kelun stood calmly and helped Adolf sort the papers.
Does the Captain not like Senior?
Kelun, ever the serious thinker, worried there might be some issue between them.
"What's with this insane stack of papers...?"
Bell finally pointed it out.
"I stopped by the barrier chief's office for the assignment report. They said it's for an upcoming mission we're likely to deploy on soon—something to reference."
"Still stubbornly clinging to paper files, huh. Even with this much."
Bell made a frustrated face, thinking of Jack William.
When the sheer volume of information was this vast, holograms were far more efficient. Paper was still used for simple documents and evidence that needed physical verification, but departments like Intelligence Analysis and Science & Tech handled everything via holograms. These days, briefings through Aria were commonplace too.
"All we can do is be grateful they went to the trouble."
Adolf gently placed Bell's portion on her desk.
"The trouble's fine... but I told him to keep his Aria hate to himself."
Bell muttered under her breath.
"He must be a traditionalist. Good to know."
"No need to take notes. We won't cross paths much anyway."
Bell had barged into the general's office without a second thought, but for anyone else, it would've been nearly impossible. Suddenly, she wondered if she'd been too casual with Jack and hesitated.
"He seems to dislike me a bit."
"...Why would he dislike you?"
Bell's eyes narrowed.
Adolf chuckled at her expression. "He said to focus only on the missions ahead or he'd make sure I regret any distractions. Maybe I rubbed him the wrong way."
A brief silence fell.
Bell mulled it over, mouth slightly agape, then clenched her teeth.
What kind of dad-talk is this guy spouting? To him, no less. So annoying.
She wanted to bolt from the room right then.
Ever since getting tangled up with Adolf, she'd noticed her emotions scattering in all directions.
Don't acknowledge it. Just think of it as adopting a giant dog.
Bell glared at Adolf, eyes wide. Any more, and the barriers shielding her would shatter, exposing her raw self.
Exhausted by the emotions already, she said, "Let's work."
Adolf nodded and sat. Kelun began scanning the documents with a serious expression.
Bell flipped through the papers rapidly, her face set in concentration. In stark contrast, Adolf spent half his time reading and half staring at her.
The once-chilly office from his first training visit was starting to feel warmer.
Adolf loved the atmosphere. And Bell's small frame left her feet dangling under the desk, which struck him as oddly cute, drawing a chuckle.
Bell wasn't oblivious; a sharp rebuke flew out.
"Lieutenant! Pull yourself together!"
Despite the tone, her face betrayed a hint of fluster.
"Seriously..."
Not wanting to snap on the first day, she fanned herself with her hand and refocused on the documents. Her dangling feet twisted back and forth.
Satisfied with the new sight, Adolf turned a page. "Sorry. I'll focus."
A few minutes passed, and fortunately, all three were sharp-minded. They'd grasped the essentials in their own ways.
Adolf neatly stacked and set aside his papers. "According to regular army and intelligence reports, ethnic clashes in Rain Code are expected soon."
Bell, trying hard to picture Adolf as a giant black hound, replied, "Yeah, yeah, good job?"
The thought made her tone dog-like, prompting a quick cough to correct herself.
This guy's ruining everything!
"I agree, Lieutenant."
Kelun coughed too before adding, "It's natural for multiple ethnicities to mix inside the barriers. Especially after what happened outside."
He paused on one page after flipping a few. "But Rain Code's barrier allocation seems lacking upfront. The proportions of Bonyak and Harken people—who are near-enemies—are too high."
Bell and Adolf leaned in to check.
The frictions in Rain Code stood out most between those two groups.
"Their nations had heavy friction before, and rumors say 0th Generation proxy Freigel Shtafenberk—who rose to fame early on—was passive about rescuing Bonyaks."
Kelun felt a pang of nostalgia seeing Shtafenberk's name and battlefield photos. He'd never expected to encounter it like this. Once, the young hero idolized by many after Mikhail Chernenko.
Bell tapped her desk. "I learned about it in school once. The nation with the Harken absorbed the Bonyak nation when it collapsed economically. News was always bad."
Kelun laughed out loud. "Hearing 'school' from you feels nostalgic, Captain."
"Ahem."
Bell suddenly felt like she'd turned the room into a casual club—embarrassing. Why am I letting my guard down like this? She felt alien to herself.
"Forget I said that. Anyway, Bonyaks are deeply religious, so they're resentful about following Harken."
"Sharp as ever, Captain."
Adolf's impressed tone made Bell jab a finger. "Focus! No chit-chat!"
"Haha—sorry."
"Say sorry one more time and you're dead."
Kelun coughed again. Seeing so many sides of the Captain today.
"Ahem, Captain, Senior? As you said, placing surviving Harken in a Rain Code barrier like that seems like a self-inflicted wound."
Grateful for Kelun's seriousness, Bell replied, "Yeah. I agree with Phrase. The military does dumb stuff sometimes. No thought put into this. Plus, Rain Code already has the Bonyak Lildar Church."
"Yes. Language, culture, faith, survival rights—all different. Enemy factions clashing inside one barrier."
Adolf pondered before speaking. "Why would the military do this?"
Bell and Kelun snapped their heads up.
It wasn't nonsense, so Bell clamped her mouth shut. "Lieutenant, what are you getting at?"
"Well, I don't know much about the past or outside. Just thinking differently from the reports."
Adolf's first serious expression chilled the air slightly. More than his odd comment about the past, the mood shift drew Bell in.
"As you've said, everyone knows these groups don't get along. So why put them together? Must be intentional."
He flipped pages, pointing out another oddity. "Recent trends show forces so rotten they're weary of arguing—now trading open hostilities like kids starting fights."
It checked out. They'd been forced to coexist since their nations fell and barriers rose. Their wars were long over. Lingering ethnic grudges made sense, but this timing didn't.
"Shtafenberk's retired now, but I've seen videos. A monster as a 0th Generation proxy."
"Definitely."
Kelun nodded.
"Not to downplay you, Kelun, but your 2nd Generation—minus you—is all non-combat. Power's fading over generations."
"Agreed. My cohort and other 2nd Gens are all in science or intel. Combat focus is weakening. Compared to your Red Eye, Captain, or Senior's raw output—now exceptionally rare."
Kelun seemed unfazed, recalling childhood footage of Shtafenberk's massive explosions. It was convincing.
"A monster like that's retired, living openly as Harken in the zone... Are Bonyaks insane?"
Adolf's sharp insight made Bell stare, then snap back. "Yeah, like you said. But..."
She tilted her head at his puzzled look. "'Monster' is a bit much. And aren't you Harken? Talking like it's someone else's problem."
Adolf cocked his head. "I'll be careful. But... am I Harken?"
"Not sure exactly, but generally: black hair, black eyes, tall build, strong features—yeah, Harken."
"Got it. Noted."
Just that affable smile.
"It's not 'got it.' Lieutenant, shouldn't you know yourself? I'm not the authority."
Bell nearly let out a small laugh, then caught herself. Her gaze drifted to him.
Thankfully, he said nothing, just propping his chin and fiddling with his hair ends.
Soon, he smiled brightly again. "I have no memories, so I don't really know."
Bell squinted one eye; Kelun looked shocked.
Kelun spoke first. "An accident?"
"Not really. Or... I don't know that either. I woke up already a proxy."
Kelun's face grew grave. "...A side effect of Luminot, the proxy serum?"
"Not sure, but... recalling then, someone told a confused me something like that."
Suddenly, Bell felt she understood why Adolf's detachment felt like a truck with busted steering.