"Private Jones," called Sergeant Campbell.

Derrick and a dozen other soldiers of Brunhilde followed behind Campbell as they made their way to the mobile HQ's right hangar—a large enclosed space where the invading forces' armored vehicles were kept and maintained. Though, since these military jeeps and light tanks helped immensely in ease of movement, captured citizens had filled the empty space left behind.

"Sergeant."

"Sir, there have been no changes whatsoever."

Two soldiers stationed at the hangar's open entrance bowed at Campbell. The Sergeant nodded in response and commanded them to follow him inside.

"How's the governor?" asked Campbell.

"He's being docile for now, Sir."

"The man behaves for once. Good then. What about the civilians here? Did our resource team manage to identify every single one of them?"

"Most of them are important figures of this island, and some are with their families. I say we'd done a great job in securing them amidst all the destruction we left in our wake."

"You're not wrong about that."

Campbell and his soldiers halted fifteen meters away from the congregated forty-two civilians inside the hangar. Seeing how the soldiers had aimed their rifles at them, the unarmed innocents distanced themselves further back, their eyes glanced back and forth between the guns and its users.

"This won't do..." said Campbell under his breath.

He raised his right arm and motioned for his subordinates to put down their weapons.

"..."

Derrick, for one, let out a breath as his shoulders drooped, somewhat relieved.

"Do not raise your weapons unless I tell you to. I don't want any distractions for a while," said Campbell.

"Yes, Sir!" responded the soldiers.

"Now..." Campbell moved a few steps forward and swept a gaze over the forty-two civilians. "Governor, I have some questions to ask you again."

A bald man in formal attire emerged from the crowd with an angry glower on his face.

"...What is it that you want this time? I'd answered everything you asked, and for your information, I didn't lie. They were facts, all of them," said the man. His slightly tanned skin appeared as a slight contrast when compared to his chartreuse green eyes.

Campbell had talked to this individual a few times before as to inquire about matters deemed important by his superior, the General. Much less of a conversation and more towards an interrogation. Needless to say, his life was at Campbell's mercy.

"I have some more, governor." Campbell pulled his sleeve and glanced at his leather watch. "And we still have some time before the General initiates the second wave. So..."

"You're planning to kill everyone!?" shouted the island's governor.

"Not everyone. The fact that you and your officials are still alive disprove that statement, doesn't it?"

Campbell drew closer to the governor, and the man responded with a few uneven steps away from him.

"Y-Y-You promised that you won't kill me," said the governor, sweat beaded down his forehead.

"The General's order, yes. Don't worry. Though I can torture you for information if I so wish to."

"Eeek!"

"Now, now. I'm not a sadist or anything close to it, and you're not a pessimist, I can tell. If you and those cowering at the back there do as what you're told, everyone will be safe. It's that simple. No talking back unless I allow it and more importantly, don't try to escape. We've gone through this, right? So... I'll start with a few questions I have in mind."

The governor acquiesced in the end and braced for what Campbell had to ask. His chest conspicuously heaved and fell as he took a few deep breaths.

"Ho-How many days are you planning to keep us here?" said a man's voice.

Campbell and the governor turned their attention to a civilian who'd asked this question.

"It has been three days! Please, let us go! I can't take this anymore!" pleaded the man, "M-My family. At least let my family go!"

Campbell's gaze switched to a blonde little girl and woman standing next to the dark-haired man. While considering the man's offer, a smile flitted across the Sergeant's face.

"Who are you to tell the Sergeant what to do!?" yelled a Private standing behind Campbell.

"...Let's hear him."

"But Sir—"

"I said, let's hear him."

Campbell pointed his finger towards the family of three and motioned for them to come closer.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"K-Kevin. Kevin De—"

"And what's her name?" said Campbell, pointing at the man's daughter.

The little girl's dainty hands clutched her father's jacket, and the man patted her head in an attempt to deaden her fear. Quite a warm exchange between both father and daughter. But for Campbell, he thought otherwise as his hand squeezed at the little girl's shoulder.

"What are you—"

"This is the fifth time your people entreated me with the same request. Did you not hear what I just said about leaving?" said Campbell to the father. His right index finger then touched his lips, and in the next moment, he crouched to meet the little girl at eye level.

"You know... I don't have a daughter myself. But I do have a little sister. She's someone I treasure so, so much..."

"S-Sergeant—"

"QUIET!"

Kevin stepped back out of instinct and so did the little girl's mother. Seeing this, their daughter tried to pry herself from Campbell's grasp using both hands, and for some reason, the soldier let go of her. The girl went to her mother's side and they hugged each other.

"...But my sister. She's blind because of what the boys in her school did when she was eight years old, and I for one despised them. They beat her until her face was swollen, three of her ribs cracked, and a broken tibia bone in her right leg..." Campbell breathed a sigh. "You see, I then realized that if my sister wasn't weak then she wouldn't have suffered like so, right? So that's why until now, I believe this world is a haven for the strong... but perdition for the weak."

Campbell stood up and raised an arm in the air. His eyes fell on the blonde little girl as he drew his eyebrows together.

"If there's anything you can get from this, it's that you only have yourself to blame for being weak, child. Remember that."

"No, wait...!"

Campbell's arm fell down before a fusillade of bullets shot past him and riddled the innocent family. Their bodies shook violently as bullets went through them until the gunfire stopped.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

"What the—!?"

The other civilians hollered and screamed at the horrifying sight as blood slathered forth from the dead bodies, staining the floor deep red.

"Y-You promised!!" shouted the governor. He tried to grab Campbell's collar but Derrick and another soldier held him back.

"I only promised your safety, governor. Don't twist my word for what it was not."

"That doesn't mean you have to kill them! Don't you have any contrition of what you'd done!? They were innocent. They did nothing to you!!"

"..."

The governor's deprecative comments thrown in with unbridled anger painted all over his face made for an amusing sight. However, Campbell had an objective to fulfill and the thought of getting it done weighted on his shoulders.

With this in mind, Campbell ordered his men to aim their assault rifles in the civilians' direction to silent them, while he sauntered to the governor's side and whispered in his ear.

"Tell me, governor, you don't happen to know the whereabouts of a kid who can make swords out of her back, right?"

"...What?"

"If you keep the information to yourself, I can't guarantee you that I won't put you in an interrogation room and take my sweet time watching you get tortured. Tell me."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so?"

"I mean... swords? A kid who can make swords out of her back? What does that even mean?"

"Hmm." Campbell took a few steps back from the governor and sighed. "Remove those corpses away from here."

"Yes, Sir!" said the soldiers behind him.

Shifting his attention back to the governor, Campbell got the message perhaps this man was speaking the truth. He had no reason to lie before the grim sight of a dead family in front of him. Convinced of this, the Sergeant pulled out a different question.

"S-Sir! The General wishes to speak to you," said an approaching soldier who had just arrived, the message delivered sounded slightly entreating.

"I see. Then, this is the last question for you, governor... Where is the armed forces' hideout?"

"Armed forces...?"

"You don't know this as well?"

"...Wait, are you saying that there's someone fighting against your men out there? I-If that's the case, then we're saved—"

A handgun gleamed in chalice silver poked at the governor's large nose, and he stopped. Campbell stretched the fingers gripping the gun one after another and cracked his neck.

"Are you sure you don't know where they are? Anything related to them?" prompted Campbell with a scowl on his face.

"I-I really don't know!" said the governor, his hands high in the air.

"Sir, I think he's telling the truth."

"...Private Jones."

Derrick and Campbell met each other's eyes as the new Private stood firm with hands holding onto his assault rifle. Campbell squinted his eyes at him, and Derrick knew it was a warning to not step any further into this matter.

An apparent hostility from a high-ranking soldier could deter any Corporal from making a move much less a Private. But Derrick convinced himself he had to intervene. To stop Campbell from pushing unnecessary trepidation into the civilians' heart than he already had.

Derrick knew he needed to say something to the Sergeant he had known ever since he was enlisted into Brunhilde and became a part of the Great Corporate United. After all, the Campbell he knew was someone who would stop at nothing until he had accomplished his objective. The chosen route never diverged for Campbell, and if it even so much as to jitter away to the side, he would do anything to fix it.

This was how Derrick viewed Campbell. And those placed under him would agree with him if their opinion was ever asked.

"You'll regret it, Campbell. You've made a huge mistake by attacking this island for your superiors' selfish goals. I don't know where you came from, but our Prime Minister will surely send his army here to get rid of you," said the governor.

"Oh...? Trying to act tough now, are you?"

"Don't think for a second that you can get away with this. After everything is over, I swear, I will get the Prime Minister and..."

"The Prime Minister? Do you want to call the Prime Minister, governor?" said Campbell as his mouth slowly curved into a wide grin.

"...What's so funny?"

Campbell put down his handgun and let out a sigh. "You're warning me of the ramifications of my actions, that someday I'll get punished for it. Common sense... But we have ways to counter the ramifications you're thinking about right now. Plans, methods—whatever you want to call it. You have my word."

The governor watched as Campbell and his men took their leave while a select few cleaned up traces of death they had incurred. To the sole man who felt responsible for the islanders, seeing the dead family grieved him. His chest tightened as he tried his best to placate the civilians at the far back. Not much could be said to them and with his crestfallen expression struck pervasively, it served as a caveat for what the cruel soldiers would do in the future.

"...They won't stop, won't they?" asked a man in formal attire, "Those guys came out of nowhere and attack our island. It's one thing that we can't contact anyone right now, but it has been days and still no army from mainland Canada coming here."

"Sir, it's not your fault. There's nothing that can be done," said another.

"..." The governor shook his head and then caressed his temple. "Until those people get what they want, there'll be no stopping them. We don't have anyone to rely on. It's... very disheartening."

"Sir... What do they want exactly? They forced us, kidnapped us here and then asked countless questions about the island. What do we have that these people desire so much that they're willing to kill anyone standing in their way? And... where's the Royal Canadian Navy at times like these? Did they not notice what's happening?"

"..."

As his ears picked up countless questions and pleas from his citizens, a memory slipped into the governor's mind. He tried to recall a certain meeting with Richarde Andersson about ten years ago.

"It's for your benefit as well," said Richarde, "You don't have to contribute to anything. All the expenses will be handled by me and I just need your permission to set everything up."

In a glistering, chalky white office designed to portray the owner's opulence, Richarde brought up his request to the governor. Upon hearing it, two women in a black vest and lengthy skirt standing next to the governor raised an eyebrow at each other. What a strange proposal this man had.

"...If I may ask, where does this money come from? Surely even someone like you need thousands if not millions in order to build this... base. It's mind-boggling when you think about it. The expertise needed to construct the building from scratch and the workforce... Anyhow, I can hide it rather easily if you're building it at the forest to the far south but still..."

"I understand your concern, governor. As for your question... can you please keep this a secret? What I'm about to tell you is highly confidential as it is, since Her Majesty is involved."

"H-Her Majesty?"

The governor's eyes opened wide when he heard the two words, 'Her Majesty', came up. However, he agreed unconditionally and asked the two assistants beside him to vow not to reveal the matters discussed in the office to anyone.

"For more than a decade now, I've been serving as one of the Crown's swords. I'm part of a paramilitary company under her control, one that's highly specialized in covert operations. When I said to Her Majesty that I wanted to establish another base for the company, on this island, she relented immediately."

"...Y-You're basically saying that you have Her Majesty's back in this grand project of yours?"

"That is correct."

"........" The governor blinked a few times before he glanced at his assistants, his body shaking and sweat started to soak his collared shirt.

"So, what will it be?" asked Richarde.

"I-I-If you have Her Majesty's approval, surely I-I don't have any say in this, do I?"

"That's not true. This is your island. You're the governor. If you don't like my request, then you can take it to Her Majesty herself to voice your disapproval. She'll be willing to listen to you, I'm sure."

"...We-Well, it's not as if building that base in the forest would affect me and the citizens. That particular area is untouched for years now, so I can guarantee no one will find it. But please, keep your project a secret from everyone. If they hear about this, there'll be a huge tumult. Even I'm uncertain in my ability to calm the crowd when that happens."

"Understood. I thank you for your understanding, governor. Truly. In the future, this base I decide to build will probably become a saving grace to us all."