“With the discoveries from Falmart, The Pentagon and other Defense companies have begun searching for ways to integrate the new materials and artifacts into next generation weapon platforms. Key programs that are in development are being looked into to see if any Urosian materials or designs can be integrated into them. Such programs are the 6th Generation F/A-XX and Next Generation Air Dominance, the new Navy Future Surface Combatant program, the Army Future Vertical Lift program, and many others. While many of these programs are entering their mature phase, future block versions could integrate these discoveries into the platforms.

With regards to the Dwarf tunnel moss which acts as a ventilation system - which was discovered after NATO forces captured the Fortress Legrath, NASA finished constructing a testing facility of this moss for researching its application in deep space habitation. The military has proposed testing this moss at the Air Force Cheyenne Mountain facility.

In other news, scientists from Cambridge University have announced the successful creation of metallic glass, which is the new radical type of synthetic glass that has the strength of steel while having the transparency of glass. The metallic glass is shown to have massive potential in advancing the design of vehicles in the future.” - National Interest

***

--- Villa, Directorate Palace, Rondel ---

Date: June 14th, 2026

Banging against the door, Sharpe yelled, "Girls, we were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago!"

"Five more minutes," Rory yelled.

"You said that thirty minutes ago!"

"Well, then wait another thirty minutes," all the girls replied.

Out of all the trails about girls, Sharpe never understood why it took so long for the opposite sex to get ready. Being late seemed to be part of their DNA. "What is taking you girls so long?"

"We want to look pretty for the party!” Tuka Stated. “Do you want us to look ugly?"

The question frustrated Sharpe as there was only one answer which was agreeing with Tuka. However, agreeing met that he could not voice his opinion. "No, but does it have to take three hours?"

Rory cracked open the door, face covered in a green mask, glaring at him. "We are women, Sharpe! We are more delicate than men. Now let us focus on beautifying ourselves in peace or we're gonna make you wait even longer.” She then slammed the door.

That frustrated Sharpe even more and hearing giggling behind the door he decided to head to his laptop. "Girls. It's like herding cats." He then heard laughter from the laptop – Sarah being on the screen as she knits clothes for her unborn child. "Laugh it up."

"I just find it humorous that you can lead soldiers into battle with no issues, fight impossibly powerful monsters, and go through multiple deadly situations, and yet a couple of girls is beyond your power," Sarah giggled. "Yeah, but it is how the world should be."

"You say so, but I always pay the bills," Sharpe replied.

"As I said, as it should be," Sarah said in a cheerful tone. "How is Rondel?" Noticing a grunt, she chucked. "That bad?"

"I'd rather be in Southeast Asia right now," Sharpe replied. "There is so much politics going on and everything has a curveball. I feel completely out of my element right now."

"I figured, but you are not there for you," Sarah replied. "It means the world for Lelei that you're there. Every girl wants approval from their father, and you're the closest thing there is to one for her. I guarantee she couldn’t do this if you weren’t there just as a safety net. Just in case.”

"I know." Thinking back to when Sharpe met Lelei and the others. Lelei told them stories of her father and how much of a bastard he was. He always wondered what would happen if they met him again.

"Speaking of being a father, Selina told me what happened with that knight," Sarah said in a severe tone. "If I was there, I would have flipped. I'm shocked you didn't kill him."

Sharpe thought back at that moment. "The day isn't over, and that one councilman stopped me. That probably was the best choice as the situation did benefit us in the end."

"I see," Sarah said as she set down her knitting tools and began to think. She then picked them back up and continued working on the blue baby shirt. "I just want to let you know that I love you, I trust you. Whatever you decide to do with this man and Selina, you have my full support."

Understanding what Sarah meant, he knew he no longer had to worry about his wife's opinion on the matter and how she sees him. One of his concerns now is that Selina will grow up, and these memories will consume her like how his failed Mexico mission affected him.

"There is Captain Rose," Pina said as she walked up.

Sharpe saw Pina in her high-quality silk-like toga with many different colors designed. While that clothing style is not his preference, she does look good in it. "I see you are ready."

"Yup," Pina said. "I admit, I am excited to go to this party. Just to remind you, everything everyone says is hollow. They will say what you want to hear but pay attention to what they mean or what they did not say."

This is what Sharpe was afraid of, political word games. He has never felt more useless as diplomatic talk has never been his strength. "Okay, but I am still bringing my sidearm."

"We are ready!"

Looking at the girl's room, he saw everyone walk up. All the girls are wearing different dresses, each one matching their personality. "You all look nice, but are you sure you want to stand out so much?"

Rory laughed, "Dummy! Women are meant to compete with each other to stand out in the crowd. It is a non-stop war to be the most beautiful and attractive."

--- Academic Ball Hall ---

After hearing a joke, Pina laughed. It was a dumb joke with no humor; however, she knows how to fake interest. Growing up in Sadera, she has been to these political parties hundreds of times and learned to ‘play the part.’ Nobles gathered, speaking highly of themselves, then talked behind everyone’s back, making political alliances, and more. In short, she learned that everything was fake, which was one reason she did not want to live the pure traditional path. She did not want to become those people.

Like in Sadera, she noticed the same political fakeness on Earth during the Christmas ball(1) and now here at Rondel. They all say what you want to hear; however, keep their genuine opinion hidden.

“Now tell me Pina, is that really how to betrayed your family?” a woman asked.

Hearing how the noblewoman said that she betrayed her family bothered her, but Pina ignored it. “I did not betray my family or position. My insane brother Zorzal illegally took the throne by assassinating our father. My other brother Diabo is with me in Alnus, opposing his rule.”

“After the first attack on Sadera, I saw the destruction that one hundred of their soldiers could bring against the most fortified city on Falmart. Out of pride, I rushed to Alnus to demand answers on why they made that attack, which they answered with the reason just to save some slaves.” Pina looked at Sharpe as he uncomfortably talked to some nobles. “After a long conversation about history, philosophy, and morals, I learned why I was so angry.”

Looking back at the four nobles, “I realized why I was so mad at myself as I tried to support the war and care about the well being of my people. I never betrayed my country; I have been fighting for it. We started this war because of our arrogance. My countrymen, my fellow legendaries, were dying for no reason but to protect the greed of the nobility of Sadera. The Empire was once a Republic, we brought security, value, honor to these lands, but we rested on our might. My brother and his followers are throwing my people against NATO with no care for their lives.”

“If NATO was this barbaric enemy like during the Thirty-Year War, then I would be standing with Zorzal but they are not. I am here because I must save my people from my brother, and I will do what I must. I am a patriot for what we used to stand for, and I will bring us back to those days.”

“How interesting,” a nobleman commented. “What you said was vastly different from what the Ministry of Censor has been saying.”

“They dragged your name through the mud, even though I thought it was drastic with the level of insults,” the woman added. “I believe in the Empire; our house has had a long tradition of supporting the empire, and we still do. But I have to say, my son is about to graduate from the academy, and I don’t want him to fight in this war.”

The nobleman nodded in agreement. “I hate to agree, but I do. I am shocked to hear that a woman who understands what honor is, but you are correct, Princess. There is no honor in throwing our sons away for no reason.”

“No reason?" Opoctia stated as he approached. "Without sacrifice, there is no victory. We did not spend six hundred years building this great Empire to fly someone else's flag. Our way of life is under attack, and if your son does not serve, everything we know will be over forever."

Watching Opoctia explain why their sons should join the war effort, Pina cannot believe that there is a different man under that mask who worked for the CIA. The acting is so detailed even now, she cannot tell it is fake. As he spoke, she saw what Hanson was talking about. She noticed four different points she can capitalize on to discredit what he is saying.

"You are correct Opoctia, our way of life is under attack, but it isn't by me or my allies," Pina replied. "As long as this war continues, the people suffer from food shortages; they risk losing their bloodline with so many sons and fathers dying. Without the Army guarding the frontier, who is protecting the frontier villages against raids? And in the end, with the economic and manpower losses we are suffering, will there be an Empire left even if they do win? There is no real path to victory, but peace and this war are more about your pride than the wellbeing of the Empire."

Opoctia crossed his arms. "The wellbeing of the Empire equals to the wellbeing of the people, Princess." He then walked off.

"That man confuses me," the woman commented. "But I will say I do agree with you, Princess, that this war needs to end. I had my slave go to the market earlier this week and could only get half of the food and spices I asked for. And all of it was at such a high price.”

Now Pina understands why this noble family is open to siding with NATO because the war has finally started to affect them. A hard lesson she had to learn, a million peasants could die around Sadera, and her father would not care until it affected him or his rule itself. It is why so many peasants had fled to the occupied territories.

Hearing Selina calming her father down, Pina bowed. "Thank you for your support, but it sounds like I am being called elsewhere."

As Pina passed through the large crowd of nobles, she saw Rory surrounded by dozens of people. This is probably the first time most of them have ever seen an Apostle. All asking her why she joined the US early in the war and fought against her creation – the Empire. Rory explained why she helped create the Empire was to bring peace and stability to Falmart, but the Empire betrayed her principles, but now she believes the US will offer what the Empire should have provided the entire time.

By the fireplace, Pina noticed Tuka and Yao, both explaining their stories. How the Flame Dragon destroyed Yao village, and the US killed it, saving their people. Tuka told the tale of Legrath and how they have a new home country.

Lelei, Cato, and Soredin are with another group of nobles and mages talking. From a quick eavesdrop, she noticed them talking about yesterday's demonstration and how impressed they were.

Finally reaching Sharpe, Pina noticed that he was drying himself with a towel. "What happened here?"

"Daddy thought that lady there was with child and tried to bring up the fact that mom was too," Selina explained. "But she was not with child and was just fat. She dumped all of her wine on him because she felt insulted."

Hearing that shocked Pina. The last thing a man should ever do is call a woman fat as there is no scenario where that will end well. "Ouch, I am sorry, Colonel. I guess this is harder for you than I expected."

"I hate this place," Sharpe mumbled as he set the towel down. "I smell."

"It is ok," Selina said, digging through her purse. She pulled out a peach scent spray. "This will remove the smell."

Sharpe stared at the spray bottle. "There is no way I am going to smell like fruit."

"But it smells good," Selina replied with a big smile.

Finding it adorable watching the legendary warrior Sharpe succumb to his daughter's wishes so easily. There was no she expected to see this side of Sharpe when they first met, having their political debates. She took Sharpe's arm and said, "Don't worry, I will help you." She then pulled him back to the crowds.

"I rather not," Sharpe replied. "Everyone else is having a good time so-."

"Please, they're not going to kill you," Pina stated. "Besides, Selina and I will protect you from more wine."

"Yeah, dad," Selina said. "Tell them one of your stories. Tell them the time you went to the center of the Earth and fought dinosaur crab people."

---

General Pepreos walked through the chamber door and walked into the party. Looking around, he saw people he used to call friends mingling with the enemy.

Politics is one reason why he joined the Imperial Army. War is simple, kill the enemy before they kill you. The only complicated part is how you do it. These people turn the simplest of issues, twist them until you want to bang your head against the wall.

"Nobles of Rondel, I see as I fight for the safety of our city you drink with the enemy," Pepreos said.

"General," Cato said. "When did you arrive?"

"Just now and good thing," Pepreos replied. He then saw Cato approach. "Ah, so you decided to face me."

"I am not going to fight you, Pepreos," Cato said. "This is a place of debate, not dueling."

"I know, old friend," Pepreos said. "I find it fascinating that everything you taught me about honor, duty, and magic, you now share it with the enemy."

"What do you mean?" Lelei asked.

Seeing Lelei's approach, Pepreo is not impressed. "So, you are the blue hair girl everyone is talking about. Grand Mage Cato was my master when I joined the Academy. He was a big reason why I decided to have a military career. I was his most promising student, and now he has found another one. While he has always wooed women into his bed, I never expected one to woo him."

Lelei blinked and then boiled with anger. "Did you just call me a whore?"

Staring at Lelei, slightly confused by that question, Pepreo realized what his words meant. He intended to point out how the lack of honor among women has influenced a man he once respected. The Cato he remembered would never betray his oath and honor. "Not in that meaning, but the message is still clear. Cato was once a great man, full of honor. But now, he is a traitor who has been influenced so easily by a cute face."

Cato stopped Lelei from slapping Pepreo, calming her down. "It is wrong to call a lady a whore, especially someone with her accomplishments. I did not raise you to have such low respect."

"And besides, he will kill you," Lelei coldly said.

Not needing an introduction, Pepreo turned around and saw Sharpe and Pina standing there. The most noticeable feature are the cold blue eyes Sharpe has, clearly ready to flip that warrior switch that all men have. "Finally, the famous rebel Princess and the Other World's greatest warrior."

Sharpe held up a finger, "First, you owe the lady an apology. Second, what kind of honor does a General have after creating that infection around Crety?"

What Sharpe said proved Pepreo's theory that NATO did not create the infected. While he assumed that(2), this confirmed it. What terrified him is that he had no idea who did it. While he is here to stop Rondel from switching sides, he also is here to figure out who created this curse.

Seeing the killer look in Sharpe's eyes, Pepreo calmly spoke, "I see the stories were all true." Looking to Lelei, noticing the crowds staring. "I meant no disrespect Lelei, I understand that you are a great mage, but that is not the point. Cato taught me about honor, and now he is throwing away everything he taught me."

"I have betrayed no one, General," Cato replied. "While I taught you about honor, I also taught you not to blindly follow a fool. I remember teaching you about duty towards your people. Being a soldier is more than following a banner; it is protecting your people. A lesson my current student seems to fully understand."

"Next time you question my honor, make sure you have some yourself," Lelei stated. "I have fought in many battles, faced Rondel's enemies head-on. I have never compromised my loyalty, and that is why I am here."

Pepreo is utterly shocked by Lelei. Not from the words but from her tone and mannerisms of how she spoke, which shows an impression of an experienced and hardened warrior than a naive girl like he initially assumed.

Looking toward Sharpe, Pepreo spoke, "As I said before, glad to hear the story is true." He then walked off.

---

"That was confusing," Lelei mumbled, scratching her head. "Jackson, what did he mean by that?"

Sharpe watched as the general left to talk with the other nobles. He does not like that there is a story about him. During his days in Delta the more the enemy knows about you, the higher chance of failure. "He is impressed by you, Lelei. He was sizing you up, and you passed his test." He looked at her and smiled. "You should be happy with yourself. You are in the warrior club now."

Watching Lelei reflect and then smile happily put a smile on Sharpe's face. While he has struggled to help with her studies, he is glad that she picked up some of his other traits. As Harper always said, it is not the weapon that matters but the character behind it. While everyone admires her magic, the real prize is the women behind them.

"Should I kill him?" Rory asked as she approached.

"Not yet," Sharpe ordered, knowing he had to be clear with Rory. "But, if you want, you can think of scenarios to keep you busy. Just in case."

Rory thought about the options and smirked, "I like that."

"I better talk to him," Pina proposed. "I heard of Pepreo when I was in Sadera. He is supposed to be an honorable man, loved by his soldiers as much as Krysist and one of the few generals who can use magic. I heard that his magical prowess is even above that of General Godasen. He never was that popular with General of the Army, Woody, but I never knew why."

"Not yet," Sharpe replied. "Let's not push it in public. The last thing we need is to create a situation where we look bad."

Sharpe noticed a man walking through the crowd as the party settled down, heading to the stage. Unlike everyone else who has a casual manner, this man walked with determination. "Who is that?"

"That is Drasho Getro, head of the Mage Guild." Without hesitation, Lelei began explaining how the Magic Guild worked. Unlike the academy, the Guild regulates what kind of magic is used, how it should be used, the ranks, employment, and other policies. Drasho is the head of the organization and works with governments and the other Guilds in Rondel.

Listening to that, Sharpe wondered how this would play out. Based on tonight's conversation and with the Adventurers in Crety, everyone knows the US' hostility towards the Guild system. Ambassador Willington carefully set up the Guilds and showed that they are a relic, preventing the improvement of peasants like what happened on Earth in ancient pasts. It was an embarrassment to them, proving they were not necessary. In addition, supporting the much-hated Mercantile Guild to spread free-market and anti-slavery reforms has done little to help relations, which he believed was the intent.

"He is one of the powerful grandmasters in Rondel," Cato said. "Strangely, he has been quiet on the matter. Guild leaders rarely intervene in politics, but he has been more distant than usual, especially with the annexation debate. The other guilds have expressed their opinion, which most are against. Only the Mercantile Guild is on your side, and the Exploration Guild is split."

"It looks like we are going to find out," Soredin mentioned as she pointed to the stage.

"To my fellow citizens of Rondel," Drasho said. "As you know, I have kept my tongue silenced throughout this debate. The reason for this is that I believe that Rondel should make this choice without interference from the Guild. The Magic Guild is the regulator of magic, but we do not determine the politics of the city itself."

“As the head of the Magic Guild, it is my responsibility to support and expand magic into all areas. For a time that was the Empire. They provided security, funds, personal knowledge, and safe access to all of Falmart, allowing us to find talented students from all corners besides our local area. But as we know times have been changing and we can no longer ignore this fact. From the notes Lelei has shown us and during her demonstration, it is clear that siding with NATO will expand our knowledge and skill.”

Many of the noble’s clapped at Drasho's endorsement but he calmed everyone down. “Do not clap, let me finish. While I see the benefits of siding with NATO there is one issue that needs to be addressed. Can we trust them?”

Lelei stepped forward. “What do you mean by that? They are trustworthy, I know this from my experience. Look at all the knowledge that they shared with me. If you are worried about what knowledge they would shelter us from, trust me it is only for our best interest as the knowledge is too advanced for us to understand or have not fully earned it yet. Just the basic understanding of our world would radically change how we see magic.”

"I believe you, Lelei, but I am not talking about the knowledge they have unlocked," Drasho replied, confusing everyone in the chamber. He looked toward the crowd. “As you can see Lelei is still lying to us. I have learned of a secret that NATO has been hiding from us. They have mages in their world.”

The whole chamber is shocked and confused from Drasho’s statement.

"Wait, NATO had mages the whole time? But that is impossible! I thought their world did not have magic?" a noble astonishingly asked.

"Their world does have magic!” Drasho states with confidence. They have been lying to us all along and one of them is here in this chamber! I am talking about you, Grand High Witch, Verona Soredin!"

Hearing screams from a nearby noble, Sharpe turned and saw Soredin hands powered up. She just deflected against a magic spell.

Confused at first but Sharpe quickly saw what was happening. It is a false-flag operation and he led everyone into it. Someone in the crowd fired a basic spell, not intending to kill her but to expose her in front of everyone. Everywhere he looked he noticed the nobles staring at her with fear.

How the Soredin true identity was shown he knew the situation was going downhill quickly. He has no idea how Drasho figured it out. The information about Earth mages is meant to be revealed after Rondel officially declares to join NATO, due to the sensitive nature of the currently rocky relationship state between Muggles and Mages back on Earth. However, if this information is revealed prematurely, the negotiation might take a turn for the worse

"That woman is a mage from Earth! Drasho is correct," a mage commented.

"Based on her title, she is a high-ranking witch no less. NATO is siding with Dark Mages. They cannot be trusted," another nobleman added.

“Yes,” Drasho said. “There is a plot against our way of life. They were plotting to infiltrate us with their mages, learn our secrets and corrupt us from within. Why else would they keep this mages a secret from us?”

The chamber made accusing eyes toward the group. Some began chanting that Lelei is a traitor. The nobles who are loyal are drowned out as a small fight starts between them.

Lelei tries to get everyone's attention but is unable to outspeak the chamber. Seeing this, Sharpe yelled in his commanding tone, getting everyone's attention. He knows the game being played here and has no interest in going out without a fight. “There you go, Lelei.”

“Thank you.” Lelei looked at the crowd. “Everyone, calm down! Soredin is not a Dark Mage like those in Darlko. I am sorry for not revealing her identity sooner due to some sensitive issues in their world. Still, I assure you all that Rondel will benefit from Earth's scientific knowledge and magic. They have magic fields that are not available in Falmart.”

“The young one is correct,” Councilmen Skrotarot said. “Let us not be over-emotional here, we all knew that Earth had their secrets and if this is one then so be it. As a Councilman, I know for a fact that this city has its own secrets. What Drasho is ignoring here is that we must earn each other's trust before we share secrets.”

“Maybe it's true, but we cannot risk the safety of Rondel,” Drasho stated to the shocked crowd. “Secrets only lead to chains, Skrotarot, and it is clear that Lelei does not have our best interest in mind. If they have their own mages then why would they come to us unless they have alternative motives? This is war Lelei.”

"Hold on everyone," Soredin stated. “It is not how it seems-.”

"I don't think so, Grand High Witch!” Drasho loudly argued. “I think you are just a pawn for NATO to lure us into a false sense of security, so they can replace us.”

As the debate continues, Sharpe can see how Drasho is using fear-mongering tactics. Using people’s natural bias against outsiders and using fear to blind people from rational thinking. Everyone in Vanguard-7 can see that almost all people in the room are looking at them with hateful and distrustful eyes.

As Cato, Lelei, and Soredin try their best to address the crowds, Sharpe notices no one is listening. He has seen this before, mob mentality. At this point, a logical conversation is out of the door. He even watched the Rondel Knights entering the room to maintain order. "We need to leave."

"We cannot leave," Lelei stated. "If we leave without clearing this misunderstanding, things will get worse for us."

"There is nothing you can do, Lelei," Sharpe replied. "Once a group of people enter a mob mentality it is pointless. If we don't leave now and regroup, there is going to be blood, and any chance of this mission succeeding will end." He then pulled out his phone and pressed the panic button.

Moments later, the large double door busted open as Sharpe's Delta team, supported by half of his Ranger unit, led by Andrew, stormed into the chamber. Their weapons at the ready, securing the path to escape.

"You rang, sir?" Andrew asked.

"Thanks, Sergeant, secure everyone and get out of here."

Cato tried to protest, stating that he should stay and try cooling down the situation, but Sharpe rejected. The problem is becoming a boiling pot, and Sharpe knows what will happen if he is still here and Drasho maintains control over the crowd. This was a trap, and he needs to get everyone out of here before another trap springs.

Seeing Knight Reldom Masulk assisting in their escape. "Go, Colonel. I will handle this."

Hearing that, the group left the chamber, heading back to their Villa, Directorate Palace, Rondel.