Clone Girls

“Exemption… is it?” David asked again as people were surprised by Rika’s request.

“Yes.” Rika replied seriously.

“...Could you give us a good reason for such a decision?” David made a serious face as whispers spread again.

“The special conditions of those girls are classified as confidential.” Rika declared. She was not lying though. Neither she nor Ticia wanted the two girl’s abilities to become known, moreso for Ticinia. The second reason was because Rika knew the two girls had a weaker health conditions than their sisters, so if she could spare the girls from receiving any lightning bolts, she could avoid incidents.

“Classified?” David frowned. “What kind of confidential level is it for I, their instructor, not to know?”

“That’s because it strictly regards the clones.” Rika replied back as Ticinia shrunk back behind her under the gaze of David.

“That is not a valid claim!” The general of the division accused. “Are you sure you’re not exempting them just because they’re kids?”

“If so, I would also have exempted their sisters.” Rika blinked her eyes, how could he say something so stupid?

“Th-then they’re either sick or useless!” The man replied back while fuming.

“That is not true.” Rika replied, but the words of the man spreaded in the whispers.

“Useless?”

“Are they sick?”

“I mean, they’re just kids in the end…”

This is bad… Rika had not thought deeply enough about her plan. She racked her brain to search for a solution when suddenly-.

“I confirm instructor Rika’s statement.” A robotic voice suddenly declared, focusing attention on the cubic, metallic object that just floated its way into the room.

“A representative of the academy board?” David raised his eyebrow.

“Correct, I am a representative of the academy board.” The robot answered.

That’s rare… We don’t usually see those… Rika thought to herself. The academy board did make use of robots to make announcements to the public, but then again, public announcements by the academy’s board were rare, and were usually spread through the network…

“...A-4? No, no, that’s not right…” Vinia muttered from the side, tilting her head, but Rika had no time to pay attention to her.

Why is it taking our side?

Neither Ticia nor Rika had revealed the Null CGs abilities to the academy staff, nor their faction for that matter… The fact that the academy board made a move themselves just to help Rika was very suspicious…

“I was sent here in case anything needed my attention, and my programs have judged this is a case that does need my attention.” The robot declared somewhat proudly, before standing next to Rika. “Instructor Rika, your request has the support of the academy board.”

“...Is that so?” Rika simply nodded, searching if there were any tricks to what the robot just said.

Well, at least Fika won’t pry further, the academy’s immunity cannot be bypassed that easily after all…

“But! It is true that the two students must be evaluated, so the academy’s board has come with a compromise.”

I knew it! Rika’s look sharpened slightly. At the same time, she also received a private message telling her she owed a small favor to the academy…

“Instead of a wargame, Null CG 11 Ticinia and Null CG-12 Vinia shall face an obstacle course of the toughest difficulty at a later date.” The robot then turned towards David. “Of course, to satisfy your political shenanigans, the whole thing shall be live streamed in the same way as today, but under complete control of the academy’s board.”

The officers sweated a bit when the robot mentioned politics, underlining that this whole thing was political, but they all nodded in the end.

“This is fine with everyone present here.” David nodded. The robot then fixed his gaze on Rika.

“This is fine for us too.” Rika answered after receiving a nod from both Ticinia and Vinia. If they’re confident they can go through an obstacle course, then fine. It’s still better than a lightning bolt, and it'll keep Ticinia’s special ability a secret.

The words of the robot also confirmed some other things to Rika though. It would seem that this wargame had been imposed on the academy, and they could not refuse. Of course the academy’s board would be disgruntled after that, but she did not expect them to extend support towards her as a result…

“Then, without further ado, let’s proceed with the next wargame.” 

Now taking the lead in this event, the robot declared. “Class 38, it is your turn now.”

The students of class 38 nodded and got up.

“Since your numbers have been reduced due to the childishness of the officers over there, the academy has allowed me to make things fairer.”

“Wha-!? That’s going against what was planned!” The general of the division protested.

“Taking the clones out of the game was already out of what we had agreed upon.” The robot criticized. “Even if those clones do not depend on the academy, they are partly students. The academy’s board considers them to be under their care.”

“...” The man could only remain silent. As for Rika, she was also a bit surprised.

The academy wants to shelter the clones now? Just what are they planning in the dark…

She would not have the time to think further on the matter, unfortunately, as the robot seemed pressed.

“As a compensation for the personnel penalty, class 38's main instructor, Instructor Rika, is allowed to partake in the wargame of her class as an advisor only!”

““Wha-!?””

 

***

 

“Well, I think we got lucky, somehow?” Bianca said as the class was holding a reunion over what role each member of the class would have for this defensive operation. Bianca was holding herself though, as the filming drone next to her made her feel some kind of pressure to maintain a calm image. Some students could not help but nod at her words and look at Rika.

“That’s not quite right?” Rika smiled. “I am here for support only, meaning that I won’t give you the answers to everything, but only when you ask me or I think you’re going the wrong way.”

“O-of course I know that instructor.” Bianca laughed it off.

“Then you better hurry up and decide on your roles.” Rika turned serious. “Your opponents are skilled people, and you are understaffed.”

The students nodded, Rika was right. The wargame was supposed to oppose sixty-two students against sixty-two soldiers, but now, class 38 only had forty-four students, and the one that commanded their enemies was none other than Riley. If her skill were as Rika remembered, then the students would have a hard time.

“So? Hurry up and elect your commanders.” Rika pressed. “Who's volunteering?”

Three hands raised themselves.

“Irvin, Ria, and Evelyn huh? That fits the numbers. Now who’s the one in charge?” Rika asked.

““Irvin.””

That was the unanimous voice that came from the students, while the Null CGs stayed silent. Rika nodded.

“Irvin Salace. Your fellow students have selected you as their field commander. Evelyn Mayers and Null CG-02 Ria shall be your deputies.”

“Understood.” Irvin saluted, before getting to work immediately with Evelyn and Ria. They seemed highly motivated, probably thanks to witnessing the ECGs’ battle.

“Evelyn, for team preparation, we’ll do as usual.”

“Ok!”

“Ria, I’m not too familiar with what you and your sisters are capable of doing yet, so I was thinking of giving you and your sisters some autonomy in the chain of command.” Irvin said to Ria, who nodded slowly. “Can you also tell us more about you all? It could help in our coordination.”

Rika nodded to herself, Irvin was taking the best approach possible by giving some independence to the clones, who were unpredictable elements for the team. By giving some independence to Ria, this also allowed the girl to move while reducing her superiority complex.

“I understand, we shall cooperate.” Ria, in complete battle mode, agreed. “But make Licia one of the warrant officers then.”

“Of course.” Irvin nodded, Licia was seen as the most reliable clone anyway. “Let me explain our defense plan first, so you can adapt to our tactics.”

Irvin then fiddled with his watch for a bit as Evelyn organized her classmates into groups. Not soon after, a drawn plan of the classes’ battle organization was displayed. 

Similarly to the composition of the first wargame, it followed basic Borkian defense tactics, but instead of keeping reserves, all manpower had been deployed into two branches, with a larger number of people in the reaction teams.

“This is how we are planning our defense.” Irvin explained. “The enemies are coming from the North, as such we will be facing that direction. Each reaction team is composed of ten people, who will be divided into two sub-teams of five, while the static defense teams have seven members. Reaction teams are positioned slightly closer to the front than usual, and they are the ones who decide whether they intervene or not.”

This was where Irvin’s mind shined compared to usual Borkian military thought, and why Rika valued him highly. He had recognised the importance of small units’ initiatives on the battlefront, which allowed for a more flexible chain of command and immediate reaction, and his mind was flexible towards criticism, integrating other people’s ideas into his strategies. The only problem there with such tactics was the own competence of the warrant officers and how much trust their superiors put in them.

The class is well united, so this shouldn’t be a problem, but outside of class, it wouldn’t work. Besides, they’re still lacking something in there for it to be perfect. Rika thought to herself, smiling a little. A smile that had not gone unnoticed by Irvin and other students.

Meanwhile Ria was thoughtful.

“...I think it is a good plan.” She said. “But it still lacks something.” As if reading Rika’s mind, the small clone girl seemed to also have noticed the problem.

Ria then fiddled with her own watch, and another display appeared next to Irvin’s one.

“You lack a support team, an assault group, as well as an infiltration one.” She declared.

“...I can understand the support team, but why an assault and infiltration group when we're in defense?” Irvin asked, deep in thoughts as he frowned.

“Right now, this is a wargame, but what if it were a real battlefield? Would you launch your tired soldiers into a counter offensive?” Ria asked back.

“...You are right, they would be too tired.”

“That’s why we need some offensive power. And we can also make them help in the defense. The assault unit shall immediately move once the enemies have started their attack.”

Irvin nodded. “Alright, what you said makes sense, let’s go with that.”

No sooner had he said this that Rika applauded.

“Well done.” She praised. “Though you’re forgetting something. I believe there are three officers right now?”

“...” Ria stared at Rika for some reason.

“Ah, right, Evelyn, anything to add?” Irvin immediately asked Evelyn.

“...I like the idea of an offensive unit.” Evelyn added, thinking seriously. “This is similar to Pellians continuous infantry strike tactics, and by infiltrating enemy lines, you can sow disorder into enemy units by striking unexpectedly and killing their officers.” She then looked at Ria with a smile. “It’s what you were planning to do, right?”

“...Yes.” Ria nodded with a weird look on her face.

“Then, we’ll go with it. Any opposition?” Irvin asked the rest of the class, who shook their heads, before looking at Rika for confirmation. He only received a delighted smile in response, which told him that they had their plan.

“Then, let’s go with this plan.” He declared. “Operation Little Grove, begin!”

 

***

 

The battle began soon after the preparation time ended. Riley’s troops began to make small raids to measure the level of the students' defenses.

For the first minutes, nothing much happened except this, until Riley’s men began their full fledged assault on both defensive positions.

“Enemy fire! Reply back!”

“Careful of grenades! Agah!”

The students did their best to hold, though the soldiers, more experienced, were more precise than them, giving them a hard time. As such, the first 'casualties' began to appear on both sides…

Still, things were still stable for now, with the students holding the line, and that was thanks to the support team covering them.

“Gah!”

“Sniper!”

“Damn! Again!? What's our own sniper doing!?”

Those were the complaints that could not be heard by the said sniper.

Sitting on a branch in the rear, Nicia observed the situation through the scope of her sniper rifle. Sniping was the second thing she excelled at after medical work, and she enjoyed it as a hobby.

“Sister.” Mia called from right next to her. “New target at 04.22.100.”

“Saw him.”

Nicia pulled the trigger, and a lightning bolt went straight towards the target she saw through her scope.

“Hit.” She declared as she saw her target fall to the ground.

“Hit.” Mia repeated as she also saw the target fall to the ground through her binoculars.

“...” The third person present, though, did not confirm the hit nor deny it.

Nicia sighed.

“What are you doing, Nia? Focus on the job.” She harshly said, keeping her sight on the battlefield.

“Nh? Oh, sorry. I was playing with the drone.” Nia replied as she fiddled with the recording drone. This annoyed Nicia.

“I don't know what's happening to you, but we are doing something important, and I'd hate to be the reason why we fail.” She said, irritation in her voice. “I don't want to disappoint mom or Rika, what about you?”

“No, I'm the same.” Nia replied immediately but her tone was weak, making Nicia sigh.

“Alright then… Mia, can you tell me what happened to Nia?”

“Of course, sister.” 

“Wai- Mia!?” Nia looked at her sister in disbelief. “You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!”

“Sorry, but I think it's best to seek some advice on this matter, Nia.” Mia smiled wryly, still looking through her binoculars. “Ah, sister, 10.30.100.”

“I see him.” Nicia replied and shot immediately. “Hit.”

“Hit.”

“...” Nia just looked at her sisters.

“Moving on, Nia upsetted her first friend.” Mia said casually, as if nothing happened.

“Nia made a friend!?” Nicia nearly lost hold of her rifle as she was way too surprised about this information.

“...Why do you look so shocked about this, sister?” Nia could not help but comment, flabbergasted.

“Because it's you we're talking about.” Nicia sighed again, when her watch suddenly bipped. “Ah, time's up, let's relocate. You'll give me the details on the way.”

“Roger.”

“...Roger.”

They slowly got down from the tree and began to walk. They changed positions like this regularly to avoid being spotted by their enemies. Sniper duels were never a good thing after all.

“...I see. You've really messed up this time huh?” Nicia commented after Mia finished explaining what happened, sending a judging look towards her little sister.

“...Yeah…” Contrary to usual, Nia admitted her failure. Despite the fact that she had been put right next to Lotte in the bus, she did not manage to speak up and resolve the problem. This was a first for the always talkative Nia, which put her in her current state.

Seeing her like that, Nicia sighed again.

“...Which position is she at right now?” She asked Mia.

“Mmmh, I believe she is at the first line, left sector.” Mia replied after thinking for a bit

Nicia looked at Nia again, thought for a bit, before sighing yet again.

“...Just go.”

“Eh?” Nia stopped in her tracks, making the other two stop and look at her.

“Me and Mia will take care of the sniping, you go and join your friend, and make sure to apologize correctly.”

“But… The orders…” Nia was hesitant, which made Nicia sigh again.

“If it's an order you want, shall I use a null code?” She threatened, making Nia's face go white.

“N-no, anything but that!”

After the events of CI3, Nia had become a bit traumatized of null codes…

“Then go, before I change my mind.” Nicia began to walk again, not looking at Nia anymore.

“I-I got it!” Nia nodded hurriedly, she began running in the opposite direction before stopping and looking at her sister. “Thanks, Nicia! You're the best sister!”

Nia soon disappeared from sight, then, Nicia sighed, smiling bitterly.

“This girl…”

“Hehe.” Mia giggled. Throughout the whole discussion, she had kept a benevolent smile on her face. “Thanks for helping Nia, sister.”

“That goes without saying. I am her sister too after all.” Nicia closed her eyes and looked away, continuing to walk, though the red tint on her face did not escape her sister's sight. 

“Come on, we've lost enough time. Let's hurry a bit. And don't forget to tell Evelyn where Nia went!”

“Hehe. Roger~.” Mia smiled sweetly, following after her reliable yet embarrassed older sister.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Licia and the others were sowing trouble into the enemy’s rear lines by doing small skirmishes.

“Agah!”

“Damn it! Not again!”

“Annoying kids!”

The engagement was short, and after a few exchanges of bursts. Licia called out to her sisters.

“Job’s done! Let’s fall back for now!”

““Roger!””

“Wai-! They’re doing this again!”

The five girls ran for a small moment, creating distance. Once the voices of their opponents grew distant enough, Licia stopped and counted her sisters.

Nobody’s been lost yet. Good.

This was the fifth raid Licia and her sisters carried on, and yet they came out of them unscathed, which was a good thing. Still, Licia’s instincts told her it was about time their enemies countered them.

“What’s our next plan?” Willia asked, a smile on her face. Licia was happy her sister had learned to control her battle frenzy, which kept her calm enough to not rush into their enemies.

“We keep low and stay on the move.” She replied, and Willia nodded.

“Gotcha!”

To say that Willia was the most motivated of the group would be an understatement. In fact, she seemed to be the only one so motivated.

I can’t read Nillia’s expression, so I don’t know how she currently feels, but if I were to take a guess, I would say she’s doing like usual. As for the twins…

Licia sent a quick worried look at her sisters. They were… distraught…

Seems like they’ve begun to realize it too, that they’ve fallen behind…

Licia had a complex expression as she thought that.

In all their engagements, Miria and Tiria could only occupy one enemy with the two of them while Licia could occupy two, and Willia and Nillia three each.

It did not make much of a problem right now since their group made sure to pick up on small groups, but…

If they continue down this path, it’s gonna be bad, and there’s not much we can do to help them…

Licia truly hoped that her mother’s plan would take effect soon, because she truly did not like to see her sisters feeling so down.

It was then that a shot suddenly struck Miria.

“Agh!”

““!!!””

Licia, Willia and Nillia reacted immediately, searching for cover, while Tiria, who was not paying attention, froze on the spot.

Oh no! Licia took a risk, she came out of her hideout and dragged Tiria behind a tree, lightning bolts nearly hitting her.

“Get a hold of yourself, Tiria!” She whispered with a worried look.

“Eh? Huh? B-but M-Miria…” Tiria had a hard time recovering.

Not good. She’s out of it. Licia sighed lightly, keeping Tiria in her arms so that she wouldn’t run up to the downed Miria. She took a glance at Willia and Nillia, but both shook their heads as some shots came their way.

No escape huh? Licia was calculating a new plan to allow a maximum of her sisters to ‘stay alive’ while listening to the enemies' exchanges.

“The major was right, we got them right when they didn’t expect it!”

“Yeah, but still, we got into such a bad state because of little kids? What a disgrace…”

“Don’t think of them as kids. They’re clones.”

“Yeah, we better prove ourselves before the higher ups wish to replace us with those…things…”

As she listened to the conversation, Tiria struggled in her arms. She had finally calmed down, but seemed on the verge of tears, which made Licia sigh in her mind as she stroked her sister’s head..

She’s acting as if Miria’s really dead…

It was when Licia was thinking as such that one of the men was suddenly shot down.

“Agh!?”

The other men immediately hid themselves.

“Damn! It’s that sharpshooter again! Where is he!?” One yelled.

“Dunno! But don’t forget our orders! Time to retreat!”

Just as he said, the men nodded and retreated. Licia and her sisters took this as an opportunity and fired back, getting one man.

Once things had calmed down, Tiria ran over to Miria, who was unconscious, while Licia released the tension she had built up.

“Thanks for the support, Lidia.”

“Mh, no problem.” Replied Lidia as she appeared from behind a tree, rifle in hand.

While Licia and the rest formed the assault group, Lidia alone made the infiltration group. She performed behind the line sniping, and caused as much disorder by herself.

“How did it go?” Licia asked, but her sister shook her head.

“She spotted me.”

Licia was a bit surprised at that answer.

One of the missions given to Lidia was to eliminate the field commander of their enemies, Major Riley Weima.

For her to spot Lidia, she must be quite skilled herself. Licia reevaluated their opponent. While Riley’s side was taking losses from their actions, so was their side. Now, Riley had found countermeasures against them, and were it not for Lidia, they might have been ‘annihilated’.

“I think it’s time to contact Command for our next move.” She said to her sisters, Nillia and Lidia nodded, while Willia checked on the twins.

“Tiria, it’s okay! Miria’s just sleeping! Let’s get revenge for her!” Willia tried to console her sister in her own way, but it did not seem to have much of an effect. Licia sighed.

“Let’s move up.”

 

***

 

Lotte was in a lot of trouble right now. The position she was in was in a bad shape.

Out of the members of her team, only three were left ‘alive’, including her that is. Reinforcements had come to help, but it was still a tough fight.

“You doing ok, Lotte?” Her group’s chief, Bianca, asked from her hidden position behind a tree. They had long left the foxhole they were initially in.

“I’m alright!” She replied. Though she kept her distance from most people, she knew how to keep a minimum of relations with her new ‘comrades’, but when it came to clones, it was different.

She still remembered how she had been humiliated by one of them, and though she did not find who ‘Nia’ was in between the twelve, she might have been the one who behaved awkwardly and looked at her from time to time as if she wanted to say something to her.

No, I’m pretty sure it’s her. Lotte, corrected. Looking at that specific clone’s behavior, she guessed she might feel guilty…

Lotte herself was reflecting on the events.

I’ve probably overreacted… This isn’t home here after all…

The reason she reacted like this in the first place was because such things kept happening at home, with people around her mocking her. If it were not for the continuous support of her big sister, she might have already broken down.

But that said big sister of hers suddenly threw her into the military academy without explaining the reason why…

The clone girl… probably didn’t mean anything bad…

That was the conclusion Lotte came to, but even then, things had grown so awkward between them, and Lotte would not go out of her way to solve the problem, so she just kept her distance, like usual.

“Gh! They’re coming again!” Bianca suddenly said as a new burst of lightning bolts came towards them. Lotte tightened the grip around the machine gun she held in her hands. It wasn’t usually her job, but since Bianca was busy relaying orders and the other member was busy with coms, she was the only one who could currently hold the position.

She took a breath in, closed her eyes to concentrate, and then turned to shoot a burst at the enemies… only to see a stun grenade in her sight coming closer…

“Waaiiiiiit a sec!” A voice suddenly said, and with a thud, the cross of a rifle suddenly hit the grenade, sending it back where it came from.

“Eh?”

“Eh? Agah!?”

From the looks of it, it managed to ‘eliminate’ the sender.

Lotte blinked her eyes, a bit unsure about what just happened, but she quickly recovered and moved behind her cover again, only to be met with an awkwardly smirking little girl with white hair that had black tips.

“Home run! I guess…” The girl stifled a laugh.

“...Nia?” Lotte asked.

“In the flesh!” Nia answered, seemingly happy Lotte was talking to her. “That was a close one, a-aren’t you glad I was there?”

“...” Lotte was speechless. What was this girl trying to say while avoiding eye contact and fidgeting? She seemed a bit out of character… But for now, she replied.

“I guess so. Thanks.”

“Hehe~.” Like a simpleton, Nia giggled, the ahoge on her head wagging like the tail of a dog. “R-right? What would you be without me, your friend!”

Lotte did not know where the smug act came from, moreso when Nia seemed so embarrassed of her own words, but she decided not to pay attention to that.

“...Friends huh?” She ended up saying out loud, which froze Nia as she looked at her with trepidation clear in her eyes.

“Hey over there! Friendship is good and all, but right now I’d like some fire support!” Bianca called out from her side, startling both girls back to reality. Lotte immediately sprung to action and began shooting her gun.

“To your left!” Nia suddenly said, and Lotte turned by reflex, shooting down an enemy.

“Nice one!” Nia seemed happy. “But I won’t lose!” She shot down another man.

When did this become a competition!? Lotte asked herself, but did not have the time to ponder on the question as the fire exchange intensified.

After some more shots, in which the duo managed to down two other enemies, things calmed down.

“Yay! We beat them together!” Nia jumped in the air, raising a hand in the sky towards Lotte. Filled with excitement, Lotte unconsciously reached for the high five, making Nia giggle.

“Now we’re even, right?” Nia suddenly said.

Lotte stayed silent for a bit.  For a moment she had completely forgotten that this same girl had played a dirty prank on her, but then she sighed.

Oh well, there’s no need to insist on something that has already passed under the bridge…

“Yeah.” She replied with a smile, which made Nia jump with joy.

“Yay! I’ve finally reconci-!”

*Thud*

““Ah…””

Something landed at their feet. It was a stun grenade… which detonated immediately.

““Ababababah!””

 

***

 

After a few more minutes, the wargame ended in a stalemate. Having suffered consequential losses, both sides petitioned for a truce at around the same time, which made the academy’s board robot declare the end of the wargame.

“I congratulate both sides for their efforts. You have shown us what the Borkian military is truly made of!” The robot seemed delighted as he said that, which was not the case of the general of the division, who was fuming red, and David, who silently applauded.

Rika and Riley shook hands with one another as a show of respect.

“You did a good job leading the students! I wouldn’t have been able to do better!” Riley praised, a full smile on her face.

“I didn’t do much, actually.” Rika replied, a smile also on her face too. “Rather, you proved a good opponent for their growth.”

Rika truly meant what she said. The only moment she had truly intervened is when Evelyn suggested they made a truce. Irvin remained hesitant, while Ria was opposed to the idea. She sided with Evelyn and convinced the other twos that it was the right choice.

“Hehe. Glad I could be of use for the future generation!” Riley giggled, but her comment made Rika sigh.

“Geez, you sound like you’re about to retire…”

“Well, it’s kind of what’s going to happen…”

“Eh?” Rika was slightly taken aback by this sudden comment. She looked around to see if anyone else heard what Riley said, only to notice they had somehow shifted to a quiet place while the next wargame began.

“A stalemate is not a win, Rika.” Riley said with a serious look, before glancing at her superior who was at the other side of the room. “You’ve seen how he is. I’ve already rejected many of his advances too, so he’s got a tooth against me. He’s gonna sink my career now…”

Rika stared at Riley in silence, there was a hint of resignation in the woman’s gaze as she looked back. But as she thought back on it, she understood. This was how the Borkian military worked after all…

Riley might not have wanted to be an officer, but forced retirement was bad… It was a disgrace, and she would be shunned by her own family as a result. Whether it was for marriage or in a political career, things would be hard for her in the future if everything happened as she said.

“Such a waste… You’re a good officer…” Rika sighed.

“Can’t be helped, right?” Riley smiled wryly. Although she had resigned herself, she did not seem to hold a grudge against Rika.

They stayed silent like this for a moment, before a thought popped in Rika’s mind.

“...Say, how about coming to my side?” She whispered into Riley’s ear.

Riley's eyes grew big, and she looked at her with immense surprise. Rika kept a serious look as she faced her.

“...This isn’t something I can answer right now, Rika.” Riley answered after a moment, mirroring a serious expression as well. “But thanks for the invitation. I’ll call you back once things have settled down on my side to give you my answer.”

“I’ll be waiting then.” Rika smiled. She was somehow confident Riley would say yes.

Feeling like she gained a new ally and a competent officer, Rika silently watched the rest of the wargames with a smile…