“The Venezuela Peace Process failed today as the three warring factions walked out. The three factions could not agree to a power sharing agreement with each group saying they are the true group to govern the body.

The combination of the Venezuela protest in 2014 with the total collapse of the economy in 2015 led to the nation going into total civil war in 2021. The Russian Federation and Cuba supports the old regime of Nicolás Maduro while the United States, Colombia, and Brazil supports President Juan Guaidó’s regime. Each side has maintained some form of civil unrest as they struggle for control of the country.

During the civil war in 2021, a hardline faction within the Military led by Major General Luca Carita. It is believed that the Chinese are providing funding and weapons to the Carita regime.

With the failures of the Peace summit, nearby nations worried that the civil war would spread to other nations and destabilize the region. With the United States, France, Colombia, and Brazil having their attention fighting on Uros, there seems to be little hope to the end of the conflict.” - Free Alnus News

***

--- Fort Minick, Vanguard headquarters, Colonel John Yang’s office ---

March 27th, 2026

Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe leans on Colonel John Yang's desk, looking at the tv screen. On there are Lieutenant General Charles Stanford and the CIA head agent Branson Castillo.

"What do you mean you are considering this offer?" he asks, demanding an answer.

"Calm down, Sharpe," Yang orders. "This is just a conversation, nothing more."

He looks at Yang. "He is proposing to give those Wood Elves, my daughter. How else am I supposed to react?"

"Stand down Lieutenant Colonel," Stanford orders. "Selina Sharpe is an American citizen, and by law, we cannot hand her to people who would murder her. Even if she wasn't, we wouldn't hand her over to these people”.

"Now hold on," Castillo says. "We cannot pass up on this offer."

What Castillo is referencing is that Lord Lashin wants to make a trade for Selina for vital intel. Somehow the Wood Elves know that NATO is looking for information on the Haryo Tribe and the US people they had captured. They know about the location of the missing American slaves the Haryo Tribe has(1). Wasting no time, The CIA has taken the lead on finding the remaining captive American and countering the Haryo Tribe.

He understands the importance of rescuing his countrymen. They have been missing for over a year now, and it has been proven harder to find than initially believed.

"Handing Selina over wouldn't mean they would give us anything," he states.

"We saw what these elves did to that farm family," Yang adds. "The only reason they left the boy alive is to send a message to us. They are also willing to go as far as they can. They will murder everyone we make contact with, all of the friends we made in this war just to get to one girl."

"Point is this is a trap," he says. "He is saying what you want to hear. He probably heard that we want our people back. It is not a state secret how far we are willing to go to get them back, so he is going to use that against us."

"Except the fact that he mentioned the Haryo Tribe," Castillo says. "We have not publicly released that information."

"Is there a way we can trick the Wood Elves?" Stanford asks. "I know mages can create people using illusion magic."

"That is not how it works, sir," he says. "From what I understand, it is like a hologram. There are limitations. Lashin has dedicated his life to killing Selina, and he is a powerful magic user, he will know the difference."

"I read the report," Castillo says.

Listening to Castillo is giving him a headache. He had worked with the CIA before and never enjoyed the experience. While on the same team, he rarely approved of their ways of getting the job done.

What is worse is that he is listening to a debate about his adopted daughter. Selina has had her other family murdered. She has been enslaved, raped, sold, kidnapped to be sacrificed, experienced racism, and more. The last thing she needs is this.

"She was a second away before being burnt to death, agent man," he says, in a furious tone. "If you think it is so casual in handing over a kid to a group of psychopaths, then you must not do it for fuck’s sake!"

"Sharpe," Stanford says. "Control your emotions! I already stated handing Selina over is out of the question. The reason I wanted you in this meeting is that you had direct experience with these elves. If you keep this hostility, then I will remove you from this meeting."

He takes a deep relaxing breath. He knows Stanford is doing his job and is right. Sarah has been telling him that he needs to keep a level head when topics get personal.

"What has the prisoner said?" he asks.

"So far nothing of value," Castillo replies. "All we know is his mission was to lure Vanguard-5 to the boy's location to deliver the message. It seems after your encounter, his tribe had split up and kept on the move."

That explains why NATO has not been able to track them. They move around and leave no trail.

"Any trade with them won't be a good idea," he says. "We have nothing of value that we are willing to trade. And anyone we send will probably get an arrow in the head."

Yang looks at him. "Maybe. With all due respect Sharpe, but I was there. When they kidnapped Selina, they didn't kill anyone(2). They were trying to minimize their impact, hoping we cut our losses."

"What is your point?" he asks.

"My point is that we cannot view them as barbarians," Yang says. "They are clear on their mission and have been very tactical on how they operate. They are elves so they can play the long game."

"Is there any way we can use this?" Stanford asks. "I want to end this group once and for all. We cannot have them going around, killing everyone in the countryside. Still, we also cannot abandon our captive people, if it is true that the Wood Elves know something about the Haryo."

"We need to get more information about these people," Yang replies. "Permission to talk to our elven allies? Maybe they can sneak someone inside their ranks."

"Granted," Stanford says. "Sharpe, talk with your Elf friends and see if they can provide any other options. We will continue this conversation in three days."

He nods and sees the screens go dark.

Yang looks at him. "I understand this is a hard subject for you, but you need to keep a level head."

"I know, sir," he says. "It is just Lashin got awfully close last time, and now he is starting to undo all the work I have done. I can't find a way to not make this personal."

"I understand," Yang says. "I don't think Lashin will go on a murder spree anytime soon. He seems to wait after each action. We will figure it out. Just focus on your current assignments and the upcoming mission."

He nods as he thinks about his next headache. "Sofia…"

***

--- Fort Minick, Vanguard Rapid Task Force 2 (Sharpe's Rifles) Compound ---

March 27th, 2026

Sharpe looks at Private First-Class Sofia Everett. She is standing in front of his desk.

He leans forward at his desk, tapping his finger on his desk.

He hates being in his office. He feels like he is in a jail cell. Overseeing a unit brings a lot of paperwork, especially being a Lieutenant Colonel. However, he never could focus on it. Sitting around just allows him to think, which is never good.

He opens his desk drawer and reaches in. He grabs his PTSD pills that help him relax and focus. As he takes the pills, he notices his Christian cross necklace. He used to wear it all the time, until a few years ago when he lost faith in the big man upstairs (1). He wonders how it got back into his desk. He remembers tossing it out when they moved to this base.

He looks back at Sofia, intentionally making her stand there for a long period before he drills into her.

He takes his pills and leans back into his chair. "What the hell is wrong with you Private?"

"What do you mean, sir," Sofia replies.

"You tried to murder Princess Pina, who is one of our vital allies," he states, remaining regimental with his tone. "You tried to kill her during training."

"We were training sir," Sofia states. "I was not trying to kill her."

"I hope so," he says. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation Private."

He cannot believe what is going on. This is the worst possible time for this drama. He already has to deal with a man who's killing civilians in order to get to his daughter.

All the work he spent building trust with the natives, Pina, Delilah, Beluutie, and others. All that work is at risk because of her.

"Sir…," Sofia says before he stops her.

"I didn't order you to speak!" he says, pissed. "Let me get this straight. You were part of the first military response to Philadelphia."

"That is correct, sir," Sofia responded. "Our job was to defend the police station(2). We failed."

"I saw the feed," he replied.

He remembers being stuck at Fort Bragg (check), Georgia, watching the slaughter. It was at peak rush hour, people going to work. That also prevented the local law enforcement to respond more quickly to the sudden attack.

It was a bad timing that led to a death toll of seven thousand.Everyone was either stuck in their cars, stuck in shops, or otherwise concentrated in one location.

"Bull shit….," Sofia says but then stops herself.

"Speak freely," he says in a commanding tone.

"You weren't their sir," Sofia says in an angry tone. "You didn't see all the bloody executions, corpses and the rape. All those people who were hammered to a fucking cross!"

Sofia looks directly at him, feeling emboldened. "These people attacked us!! They have no value for human life! A fucking cat would see more value in us than they do!! You think you can work with them? Be friends with these monsters!? "

"Continue," he orders.

Sofia takes an emotional breath. "Continue? Oh, I will. How would you feel if your hometown was burned to the ground? I lost three childhood friends. Places I grew up with are gone now. Half of the unit I was in was murdered. I was forced to witness an innocent girl being raped by goblins and one innocent boy being eaten by them while he was screaming for his mother, who was also raped. I learned two days after the attack that my uncle was killed by those bastards! They mutilated him so much that the only thing they had to identify him was by his fucking teeth!”

"You want me to work with the woman who literally leads the Imperialists," Sofia says angrily and tearfully, getting upset by the memories. "I lost everything, and I have to pretend that nothing happened. The people who work with the Empire. They are barbarians, sir. They all deserve a bullet in the head."

"And then there is you, sir," Sofia says, still trying to control her anger. "You are worse. You allowed yourself to befriend murders and rapists. You risk your soldiers' lives for a photo op. You brought these people into your team and you even adopted one of these barbarians. You betrayed and spit on everyone who died by these barbarians’ hands!"

He can see that she is done venting. He could see all those thoughts were building up.

"So, you came here just for revenge?!" He says. He knows the answer, but he wants her to say it.

His question angered her greatly. "Revenge? I want a bullet in all their heads, so fuck yeah, I want revenge."

He looks directly into her eyes. "And you are willing to close the war for your revenge?"

Sofia stands there, confused by the question. "You are not implying that we are going to lose? We have tanks and fighter jets. They have swords. There is no way we can lose."

"Of course not," he replies. "We will win this war. It is only a matter of time. If we do it your way, it will be far quicker. Just gun down everyone in sight."

"Then we plant the flag on their emperor’s corpse, yell freedom, and hold victory parades. The President makes a speech and so on," she continues.

He then wages his index finger. "But then twenty years go by and we are still here fighting. Sending more sons and daughters against all of Falmart who hate us because we killed their homes, friends, and families. Everyone forgets about why we went to war in the first place. Wondering why our troops are still here, dying against a determined enemy."

He then stands up from his chair. "We won the war in Afghanistan in a matter of months. We won the Iraq War in three weeks. But you know what they have in common? We pissed everyone off from all the callous air and drone strikes and we stuck around for a decade or two. Doing nothing and having that victory turn into a footnote. In the end, many people of the Middle East hated and reviled us! The Talibans and ISIS are the direct and indirect result of all of that".

"But who gives a shit about winning the war, right? As long as Private First-Class Sofia Everett gets her revenge who cares if we lose in the end. Who cares if our sons and daughters will have to fight the Empire, the Rose Knights, Rory, and everyone else!! And the way you scream revenge in terms of putting a flag on the Emperor's corpse and holding a victory parade makes you no better than the Imperialists when they paraded the corpses of our people and burned our flag during the attack in Philly!"

"That is not fair, sir," Sofia says in a defensive tone.

"You're damn right it’s not fair!" he replies quickly.

"You act like you are the only one who wants revenge," he says. "But you have no idea what that is. It is not some Hollywood movie where everything works in the end, hell, even some movies depict that revenge never guarantees happy endings or solving anything. There are real consequences and it is a very real thin line!"

“By the way! Do you know how many people we’ve lost so far!? Five-hundred and thirty-three NATO personnel, and the casualties would be much higher if it wasn’t for the knowledge of this world and support from Rory, Pina, the Rose Knights and the other natives whom we befriended! May I firmly remind you Everett! If it wasn't for Tyuule for informing us about the Haryo tribe’s method of operation, our president and the entirety of congress could have become mind-controlled slaves that would have destroyed the whole country by now!” he firmly reminds her.

He can see that she understands his point. Revenge feels good, however it rarely works. Everything has consequences.

"Now back on track to your attempted murder of Princess Pina," he says. "I hated her after that event after the first peace attempt. I hated her so much I threatened to put a bullet in her head(5). But I didn't and she then put her Knight’s lives, as well as her own, on the line to find many of our people and bring them back to us(6). She betrayed her own country to make things right. She was disowned by her father and brother."

"Now imagine this," he says. "Americans killed the rebel leader Princess Pina. The Empire would tell all of their subjects that if they work with us, we would kill them. That they are better off siding with the Empire. Why would anyone work with us? This war would go on forever and there are millions of them!! We cannot keep killing all of them forever and have our brothers and sisters die for nothing!”

"If we didn't help Italica, then why would any of these cities ever join us?" he asks. "If the only two options are a bullet or siding with our enemies."

“And let me enlighten you on some geopolitics Private,” he continues. “If we abandoned Italica to those bandits and let them get slaughtered, do you think the surrounding cities would have been so welcoming to us? No. Why would anyone side with us? Because we have more powerful weapons. That rarely happens. They might have surrendered but that didn’t mean they are on our side.”

“Saving Italica has allowed us to strengthen our position in the region,” he adds. “What this did was show everyone in this that there are more than two options, they can work with us. We cannot win this war if the only two options are getting a bullet in the head by us or siding with the Empire. They will side with the Empire every time. Do you understand?”

"I understand sir," Sofia says in an annoyed tone. "Don't hate anyone, wanting revenge is bad and just smile and wave."

Hearing that pissed him off. "No. Do you think none of us want payback? There is nothing wrong with wanting revenge, hell I have a growing list myself. You just need to make sure you take out your revenge on the correct people and in the right manner. Winning the war is not just about gun blazing but also about making allies!"

"You are damn lucky Pina refuses to press charges since she sympathizes with what you have been through!!," he states. "I didn't allow you on the team just to destroy everything."

He takes a breath, looking at her. "You are on dish duty for the next two weeks and as of now you are demoted too Private Second-Class."

"Sir," Sofia says and salutes. She then heads to the door.

"One last point Private Second-Class," he says. "If you take one thing from this conversation, then remember to watch your six. In battle, the troops need to know you have their six. You have already shown that you won't watch theirs because of your rage. If you ever run into trouble, you better hope you didn't push people so far away that they cannot or will not help. And remember! If you keep drowning in your blind vengeance, you will end up in the ground. There is only one way that it ends. Now get out!”

--- Captain Rose’s Office ---

Captain Sarah Rose is at her desk and in front of her is the Rose Knight Shandy Gaff Marea.

She glances towards the wall that is between her and Sharpe's office. She could hear him yelling for a moment. "I need to work on that…"

"You asked for me, Ma'am?" Shandy says.

She looks back at the young girl. She has bright brown hair with each end tied, going down to her shoulders.

"Yes, I did Shandy," she says. "Thank you for coming."

She can see that she is nervous like she did something wrong. She smiles at the sight. "You don't have to worry. You are not in trouble."

"So why am I here?" Shandy asks.

"I ask you here to talk about your future with the Rose Knights," she says. "First, can you please confirm your age?"

The question confuses Shandy. "Ahh… I am fourteen. I will be fifteen in a few months."

She nods her head, already knowing that. "Thank you."

The United States military does not allow anyone under the age of eighteen to enlist into the military. Because many native warriors like Lelei and some Rose Knights are under that age limit NATO has been looser on that rule when it comes to native recruitment. People must be at a minimum age of sixteen which is considered an adult in most cities on Falmart.

"As you know we have laws about child labor," she says. The next part she has trouble telling the young girl. "You must be sixteen to be able to be a soldier."

Shandy's eyes widened. "But… that means I am two years too young."

"I am sorry," she says.

"But that is a pile of horses dung," Shandy says, upset. "I gave up everything to be here. The Rose Knights are the only place I felt like I belong." She then rubs her eyes, wiping away the tears.

"My parents disowned me when I came here," Shandy adds. "I have to help Pina. She needs to defeat her brother to save the Empire."

"I know," she says. "I have been watching from afar and I have always been impressed with how hard you girls work in the Rose Knights. And how loyal you all are. It is not easy being a female warrior. Always trying to keep up with the boys, but you all keep pushing."

Shandy nods as she wipes more tears from her eyes. "Please Sarah… please do not take me away from Pina. I have to help."

She admires how loyal Shandy is to Pina. All the Rose Knights. Just like Vanguard-7, they have been through a lot together. While still young and learning to be proper soldiers they are proving to meet the standard that was set up.

"It is out of my hands," she says. "While we have been flexible with the law because we are following local standards, a fourteen-year-old girl is just too young to be sent to the front lines."

"So, if I was a boy it would be ok?" Shandy asks.

She thinks about how she said that, realizing that was not the message she wanted to send. "I am sorry, that was not what I meant. If you were a fourteen-year-old boy I would still be saying this."

She leans forward and places her chin on her hands which are together. "However, I have a job for you."

"A job?" Shandy asks.

"Because the Rose Knights are an official unit under Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe command, they need a Logistical Officer."

"I was going to assign someone to do that task however I think it will be better to have a Rose Knight assisting their own," she says.

"But I thought you thought I was too young?" Shandy asks, confused.

"For frontline work yes," she replies. "However, we can bend the rules to allow you if you want the job."

"The reason I am doing this is because I’ve had my eye on you for a while now," she continues. "Your grades have been perfect. You have quickly picked up on our terminology. I have been very impressed by your progress."

Shandy smiles after hearing that. "Thank you. I find it fascinating how everything works."

"You will be working here with me and the others under my command," she says. "Your responsibility will be to prepare upcoming missions for your team. To get support and up to date intelligence for your Knights. Anything they need to complete their mission."

"I understand," Shandy says with a big smile. "I watch how you and Sharpe interact."

"That… might not be the best of examples," she says.

She then sees Sofia walk past her office door, meaning Sharpe's meeting with her is over. One look at her face was all she needed to know Sofia was absolutely livid.

She looks back at Shandy. "Do you accept my job offer?"

Shandy looks out the side window, seeing the operation center. "Does that mean I get to be in that room? With the fancy chairs and what you people call AC(7)?"

She chuckles. "It is pretty nice. Yes."

Shandy nods with excitement. "Yes. I accept the offer.

She shakes Shandy's hand. "Welcome aboard. For right now your Rank is Private until your training is complete. Once you pass and show you can do the job you will take the rank of Warrant Officer 1."

She then points to the blond woman sitting at Vanguard-2 Station. "Lieutenant Hill will be training you. You are dismissed."

Shandy gets up and runs off all excited.

She chuckles at the sight. She then sighs heavily, knowing she needs to go into the lion's den, Sharpe’s office.

She gets up and heads to Sharpe's office. She knocks. "Permission to enter?"

"Enter," Sharpe says.

She enters and sees him leaning back in his chair. He is flickering a pen between his fingers. She has seen him do that with a knife before.

She sees on his desk the paperwork she needs him to do, barely filled out again.

"How did it go?" she asks.

"Is this a formal meeting?" Sharpe asks.

"If you want sir," she replies. "But I just came to see how things went."

Sharpe looks at her. "Did Shandy take the job?"

She smiles, seeing this as an informal meeting. "Yes, she did. She is very excited about it."

"Good," Sharpe says. "Glad something positive happened today."

"That bad?" she asks.

Sharpe flicks his pen again. "Do you have any idea how painful it is to listen to someone talk about cooperating with someone who is trying to kill your kid?"

"They're not planning on handing her over, are they?" she asks.

"No," Sharpe says. "The Lieutenant General himself said there's no way that's happening. But they still want to find some way to move forward with this offer. I tried telling them that Lashin only deserves a bullet in the head." He then leans forward. "Shit, I am starting to sound like Sofia."

She can see the frustration in his eyes. He usually is particularly good at hiding his emotions. She is glad he is not bottling things up as much anymore.

"Sharpe," she says. "With all due respect sir, Private First-Class Everett is a bitch. You two are nothing alike and I am glad she is being court martialed."

Sharpe takes a breath. "No court martialed for now. But she is no longer a PFC but a PSC."

She could not believe what she just heard. While she approves the demotion to Private Second-Class, but she does not believe that is enough. "You're kidding, right? After what she tried to do to Pina? She has been undermining your command since day one! Didn't Alicia have to stop her from hitting Selina?"

"I know," he responds. "My decision is final. I am giving her another chance."

She cannot believe that. "Why? After everything, you and Pina have done? Everything you two have been through? She nearly undoes all of it. I know she has been through a lot, but she is lost, sir."

Sharpe takes an annoyed breath.

She is confused about why he is being this nice to Sofia. He never allowed matters like this to go unchecked. While fair, he greatly values maintaining order. "You knew she would act like this? You had to.?"

"I am trying to help her Sarah," Sharpe replies. "Based on her report and what the Ranger Drill Sergeants said she is driven, very driven. She is just misguided."

What Sharpe said made sense to her. While he is a soldier to the core one thing that attracted her early on was his big heart. Even Rory saw how big his heart was, he was just wounded. "I know Sharpe. You have a big heart, but this is not the same. Sofia is much like Lashin and those Wood Elves, driven by blind vengeance. She does not know who the enemy is. If you keep her around it will only end up bad."

"I don't think so," Sharpe replies.

"Sir," she says, frustrated. "It is not worth putting everyone's lives at risk."

Sharpe then stands up, leaning forward, looking directly at her. "You have no idea how it feels Sarah. To lose everything, to be alone watching everything crashing around you. And worse of all, to be alone during all of this. I was so close to pulling the damn trigger…(8)." He stops himself and looks down.

She stands there, eyes widened. She cannot remember the last time Sharpe snapped at her. She feels like a prick now. She places her hand on her forehead. "I am sorry sir. I didn't see it that way until now, but my point still stands. She is dangerous. I know you think that you two are similar, but you’re not."

She decides to sit down in the chair, seeing this conversation is going to be longer than she thought. "I understand she has been through a lot from the invasion(9). I saw the videos. It was hell, but you've been through so much Jackson. Eight years fighting with Delta, experiencing so many horrors. You went through far more than Sofia did and yet here you are now."

"That is the point," Sharpe replies, calming down. "I had you, Rory, Selina, Lelei and Tuka. I had a team. That is what brought me back. If Rory didn't stop being a brat, I have no idea where I would be." He stops and takes a relaxing breath, holding onto his hand. "I have to try Sarah. If I cannot find a way to help her, how the hell can I after everything I have seen and done."

She finally sees what is going on. Sharpe is trying to pay it forward what Rory and the Girls had done for him. She wonders if he fully understands the risks but decides he does. She trusts him, even though she thinks it is unwise.

She can see the amount of stress he has with what is going on. The last thing he needs right now is one of his soldiers going rogue. "Ok, sir. I understand."

Sharpe nods. "I know you don't approve. But I have to try. Now, was there a reason you came to visit, or you just wanted to talk about Sofia?"

She takes a breath knowing she is about to open another can of worms. "Yes, there was another reason I came here. It is school-related."

"Alright," Sharpe says, leaning back. "Everything ok?"

"The school is doing great," she says. "I got two more students last week. It is just that Selina is struggling."

"Struggling?" Sharpe asks. "From what I understand her grade improved."

"Yes," she replies, hesitant to say more. "The thing is, Selina, got into a fight with one of the students."

"Did she win?" Sharpe asks.

She rolls her eyes with frustration after hearing that. "Of course, you would ask that. It doesn't matter if she won. This is a problem, and she needs her father."

"I don't see the problem here," Sharpe replies. "If someone picked a fight with her and she won, problem solved. I don't want her to grow up unable to defend herself. Please don't tell me you are one of those teachers who tells kids if you defend yourself, you're the bad person."

"Of course not," she replies. "She did win, but that's not the point."

While Sharpe has been distant with her school project, he has been supportive. He provided funding, namely support, made Selina go, and provided time for her to go there. However, she has noticed how hatred for school sneaks out at times. She knows that Sharpe had a rough school, and it bleeds out.

"It is not about her fighting back," she says. "One of the boys tried to take the necklace you gave her. The one with the North Star."

"Then I am happy," Sharpe replies.

"You are not seeing it," she says. "She has no friends. None of them like her because she is from Edras and she is smart. She doesn't help the situation by closing herself off from everyone."

"So, she isn't popular in school," Sharpe replies. "If people are going to judge her like that, then screw them. I fail to see the issue here Sarah. She is a tough girl; she doesn't need those friends."

"Oh, for god’s sake, Jackson!!," she says, frustrated with him. "I get it. You had a shit school life. That doesn't mean Selina has to follow in your footsteps. I want her to be happy at school."

Sharpe then looks directly at her. "This isn't about you wanting to gain favor with Selina? Remember when we first talk about this school Sarah. Selina will hate you if you did all of this just so you two can get closer(10)."

The truth is that she did start school for Selina. She wants to get closer to her. She loves both Sharpe and Selina and wants to marry Sharpe. She thought the school would help with this because she wants a future here at Alnus with them. While this was not the only reason, she started school, it was one reason. However, she has no intention of telling Sharpe that.

"Jackson," she says, looking at him. "Let me ask you thisnk. Do you honestly want Selina to have the same school experience as you did?"

She can see that question worked. She realized that she should have been more direct with him. "Selina is a young girl. She is about to enter her teen years. You are off fighting the war and when you are not, you're busy here at the base. Furthermore, the girls are also as busy as you with all the war efforts, training and researching like Lelei. She cannot sit around waiting for you or her big sisters to come home to play. She needs some friends of her age; she needs a life. Friends are especially important at this stage of girl life."

"I see," Sharpe says as he thinks. "I don't want Selina to be that outcast kid like me. But what do you expect me to do? You of all people know I am not good at first impressions. Why do you think Colonel Yang had you come with us during the peace summit?"

"The thing is, the other students are bad kids. There is just this divide that I cannot crack. Even Mentiv is shocked by the stigma of Selina. I just don't know how to fix this situation. I just wanted to bring this to you and see what you think."

"And you think I can fix this?" Sharpe asks.

"You are her father. If you cannot find a way, how can she?" she says. "The thing is, you are good at getting different groups to work with each other. You have a way of breaking that barrier. Fuck, when you first met Selina you showed her cartoons and since then she idolizes you. At Italica, you just spoke straightforwardly and rallied the city. I just want you to try and do this with kids."

She takes a deep breath as she thinks. She feels tired now, not knowing what else she can say to make her point.

She then sees Sharpe’s frown turn into a smirk, an uncomfortable smirk. "What?"

"I just got an idea," Sharpe says with a chuckle.

"What?" she asks nervously, scared of what she just created.

"Tomorrow," Sharpe says. "After class, have your students stand outside in front of the school. Have none of them leave. I will show up then and fix this problem my way."

"What are you planning," she demands.

Sharpe shakes his head. "Nope. Not saying. But this is going to be fun. Now I have to take care of something. See you tomorrow Sarah." He winks at her.