The Royal Court, Fargo

"…To say that the peasants of this nation are keen enough to rule themselves is like saying that a child can live without his father, the notion is utterly ridiculous!" Igraine shouted in the court, frustrated with the persistence of the Reformists.

"The lower classes make up over eighty percent of this great nation, all of our food for the harvest, all of our goods, all of our production, it all comes from these people. All I, and the rest of my partners, are advocating for is to ease the conditions of the slave classes and the working class," A weasel said, adjusting the spectacles on his face, holding a written essay he had made for this event.

"But, Professor Hyde, the human mindset is a weak and fragile one! To let them rule our country would be like letting the blind lead our nation!" Igraine countered.

"That statement is backed up by no factual evidence all the research I have done into the matter of the human psyche is that they are at the same level as us-"

"You and what research? I'd like to see this 'science' you bring up!"

"Igraine, I'm not sure if you are aware but I am one of the leading scholars of Iscariot history and government at our prestigious Royal Educational Society. Now you may dismiss facts and science to undercut myself and my colleagues, and further fill your pockets via the sweat and tears of the people you call slaves. However, you should know that an institution that suppresses others who are fully aware is a system that will not last long!" Professor Hyde continued on a bit frustrated.

He was indeed one of the leading figures of change in Iscariot society. He even wrote a book in which he glorified Falkish and Commonwealth society for their egalitarian viewpoints, but criticized Iscariot society for maintaining a strict order of class separatism among the races. His views were Radical, to say the least, but his efforts didn't go unknown. Many scholars agreed with him in his viewpoints, and so too did many in the court who weren't among the aristocratic elite. Sir Perceval and his colleague Cathy also supported him in the court.

There was a massive change going on inside of the Iscariot Empire. The people were beginning to abandon the old traditions of the past and instead turned to the ideas of the future. Seeing the insectoids, reptilians, humans, and elves not as creatures that were lesser than demi-humans, but as equals. This way of thinking was pushed primarily by the Reformation, a faction in the Iscariot court that embraced the ideas of liberty and equality. They were new ideas for an old empire. A changing one.

"My King!" The king looked up at Igraine who directly addressed him, it shook him from dozing off, "Surely you can see the traitorous nonsense coming out of Hyde's mouth!"

"Igraine! Hyde isn't advocating for treason against the empire, he is simply stating that our government perhaps should treat those who have worked their whole lives for our king with more courtesy and respect!" Sir Perceval said. Perceval was a great brown bear, one of the larger figures in the court. Like Wendover and Igraine, he was one of the three top generals in the entire nation. But his agrarian upbringing taught him a lot about the hard work that is needed to fuel an empire, and he grew up amid struggle alongside the insectoids, reptilians, and humans who were often in the lower class. There were many like him in the empire, a growing population, but few were as powerful as Perceval.

"Are you all done?" The King bellowed from his throne. Everybody in the court snapped to attention to look at him, "We were talking about taxes and somehow, somehow, it turned into an argument about nonsense!"

"It's not nonsense it-"

"Silence!" The King stopped Hyde.

"Now, taxes will not be raised on the nobility," Igraine looked relieved. Hyde, defeated, "And this court gathering", Fredrick raised his golden rod slamming it on the ground like a gavel, "Has concluded."

The court began to mill about, as usual, the people inside striking up conversations with one another flooding the room with the sounds of a crowd talking amongst each other.

Fredrick stood up, he had his places to be…

In the Royal Chamber, Nora once again had taken to her usual routine of just enjoying the view outside the window. The Fox Queen didn't wish to accompany Fredrick to the court gathering today. She had other things to take care of. For one, it was Prince Julian's first birthday. One full year alive on this planet, a worthy cause for celebration.

He had grown a lot. Talking for instance had become something he was quite fond of. Though, he could only babble out what seemed to be nonsense. He had started to walk, if only for a few feet until he would stumble over. He never cried which was something Nora was thankful of. Nora accompanied her little one alone until Fredrick could come back from the Court gathering, though Nora pretty much knew that it would be short knowing Fredrick's temper.

Little Julian crawled about on the floor, snow-white. Big, adorable eyes. Black-tipped ears like his father's, and a little button nose. A baby fox. She smiled whenever the little one would crawl around the room, stop and then look up at her, as he did now.

"Don't worry little Julian, your father will be here shortly. I'm sure of it," Nora said, picking up the child and putting him in the crib to stay put.

The sound of the door opening only confirmed that "There you are!" Nora greeted him when he came in, "How did the court meeting go?"

Fredrick shrugged, "Like usual. A bunch of babbling between the people."

"You ought to listen to that babbling!" Nora warned, Fredrick just brushed it off. His eyes landing on little Julian who looked up at him.

"Aww, come here Julian!" Fredrick walked over and picked up the baby, Julian smiling and laughing. Nora walked over to his side, "My little prince is a year old now, is he?" said Fredrick, remembering his son's birthday.

"Indeed he is. He has your eyes, and your ears," Nora said. Fredrick smiled.

"And he has your beautiful fur," Nora blushed at the compliment. It was times like these when Nora could forgive Fredrick for who he was. He wasn't a bad person at all he was quite the opposite. Usually, royalty didn't marry out of love, but Nora had to admit that she loved him with all her heart. And she was sure Fredrick felt the same way.

She and Fredrick had been married as part of a treaty between the Kingdom of the Highlands that her family the Planinias ruled, and the Iscariot Kingdom. Nora was the daughter of the royalty and wealthy elite in the Highlands, a product of extensive education, wealth, and brotherhood with the creatures around them. The Jorgans were quite the opposite. Their honor codes relied on strength, superiority over their rivals, and glory above all else. The only common ground that the Jorgans and Planinias shared, was their common border, and their fox rulership. It was enough to make them unite in common for what they though would be the greater good.

"And your lovely face…" Fredrick said again.

"Tell me more…" Nora leaned in closer. Fredrick planted a kiss atop her head.

"You just want to hear me compliment you, don't you."

Nora giggled, "You know me too well," Nora pulled away for a moment, "Why don't you tell your servants to arrange a banquet? We'll celebrate Julian's birthday properly!"

"Who'd you invite?" Fredrick asked, putting the baby back in his crib.

"My family, The Planinias. My relatives would be absolutely overjoyed to be there. And I'm sure you have cousins too."

"Not any that I know of. And the ones I do, I don't like," Fredrick said. Nora patted Fredrick on the chin.

"You barely like anyone!"

"Well, it's not my fault! They are an annoyance! Besides they're all married off into other families, I haven't spoken to them in years."

"Well you should, Freddie!" Nora said, "And besides, you should invite some people from the court."

"Nora, you're killing me!"

"Freddie!"

"…Fine. If you want," Fredrick resigned. Despite him being King, in situations such as these, Nora always had the final word.

A knock at the door came through, " Come in!" Said the King. One of his servants came in, a magician.

"Where are you coming from?" Asked Fredrick.

"The Royal Nexus sir! We've gotten word that Sir Wendover has arrived back in the Palace. He's waiting for you there," said the beaver.

"Ah, yes. I forgot about his… letter. I'll talk to him, tell Wendover I'll be there."

"Of course, my lord." With that, the magician left.

Fredrick stood, "Wendover…" Nora repeated the name.

"I'm disappointed in him, really," Fredrick sighed.

"I know what happened. He failed the mission we gave him?"

"How do you know that?" Fredrick asked. Nora smiled.

"I spoke to him personally before he left, and because of that, he gave me a separate letter."

"Nora-"

"Don't worry, I can handle things on my own! But unfortunately, he failed."

Fredrick huffed, "He humiliated us, Nora! He lost five hundred of our soldiers to a bunch of… savages! I should've sent Igraine on that mission! She's a dragon breeder anyway! She would've taken care of it!"

"Igraine also burned down an entire village of goblins!" Nora said, "Not exactly our best choice now is she?"

"She burned it down, but got the objective done! The pirates are no more because she knows how to lead an army."

"Don't be so harsh, Freddie. The life of our enemies is a life nonetheless. You seemed to have forgotten. Shall I remind you of your own defeat in-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand," Fredrick stood up, "I'm going to meet Wendover. I have to talk to him!"

"Don’t take too long…"

Wendover was supposed to be arriving back in Fargo today. He had received a letter from the Royal Nexus, given to him by one of the magicians on the receiving end of things. It was from Wendover, given to the Nexus via magical teleportation. And Fredrick was not happy when he read it.

He walked through the halls of the Royal Palace, with guards surrounding him on either side, escorting him to the Nexus. A large room that took up the entirety of the Crystal Dome on the palace. There, magicians worked to send letters magically across the empire and continent, and receive letters by the same means. Used for both Royal and Civic duties in transporting mail, it was the most crucial part of the Palace letting the Royals exert power over most of the Empire, and give orders anywhere at any time.

Wendover was to meet him there. And sure enough, there he was! He stood in the midst of the Nexus, waiting. Along with him was Sir Ann. When the two saw him, they quickly bowed before the king.

"Your majesty, I-"

"Silence, Wendover!" The King said in a dictatorial manner, "Tell me. Why is it that when I give you a mission, you fail?"

Neither Wendover nor Ann spoke a word. The King was getting frustrated, "Answer me!"

"T-they weaponized magic sir, I-"

"You have the Ekron stones! Couldn't you fight back?"

"It was magic we have never seen before. It was almost mechanical, we were wiped out completely in the blink of an eye!"

"Weakness, all I hear is weakness and excuses to cover it up!" The King yelled out, "Pathetic mewling from a general who is far past his time! You know something Wendover…"

The wolf looked up at Fredrick, "You were once a great General. Or so I heard. Tell me, where did the rumor come from? And where in the world did it go? You aren't living up to your reputation, I'll have you know."

"Y-yes, sir-"

"You are lucky that this hasn't spiraled off into something much bigger, Wendover!" Fredrick sighed, stroking the top of his head.

"Your majesty, if I may?" Ann spoke up.

Fredrick looked down at him, "Go on."

"The people of the Albya River Peninsula have identified themselves as coming from a new world. They came through a portal that links their worlds to ours…"

Fredrick looked on with interest. Beckoning Ann to continue, "I think Wendover failed to explain it to you in a way that is most proper. They aren't magical humans, they are like the Falkish in every way almost. Relying on technology, perhaps the same technology used against us during the battle."

"And what of this portal?" Asked the King.

"We figured the Humans opened the portal, but when we met with them, they gave no indication that they themselves opened it. Perhaps it's one of the Magical colleges? Wesmich?"

"Wesmich?" The King asked.

"Aye, sir. Wesmich. The wizards at the Magical Colleges are always conducting experiments that interfere with the world proper. Perhaps Wesmich might have a hand in it."

"But Wesmich is a fairy tale, nobody knows where it is!"

Ann nodded, "There have been reports that-"

"The reports might be false. I'll go ask the Magical Colleges that do exist if they have been conducting any portal opening experiments. And as for you Wendover…"

The wolf, who had kept his head low, looked up with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "I'll give you one more chance to prove yourself. But that chance will come at some point in the future, and I cannot tell you when. Hopefully, you don't mess it up."

"Thank you, my lord!"

"Right, now get out of here. The both of you." Ann and Wendover left leaving the King inside of the Nexus by himself, overseeing the wizards sending and receiving messages from their magical stones.

'Wesmich? No, that's impossible. Wesmich doesn't exist…' the King dismissed the thought as he too went back to his chamber.

Hezekiah was seated alongside the wall of his barracks, he welcomed the comfy bed and somewhat cozy atmosphere of the room. He was tired, but he didn't sleep. He just had his water in hand and thought to himself. Alone. Thinking about his life. His future. And what it all meant.

He had to admit, he had no idea what was going on. The past few days were hectic to say the absolute least. And it made him think of what could possibly come ahead.

If the Raritan leader was right in her prediction, that would mean everything was still in his hands. This could either be his hell, or his heaven. So far, it's been leaning more towards the former. But there was some good. The Raritan's for instance was the nicest thing about this world so far. Their little misunderstanding at first soon turned into warm regards and paved the way for new opportunities. And Hezekiah couldn't help but feel like a hero. All of Unity should have felt like it. It might be due to Hezekiah's inner narcissist, but he felt like a real champ today.

Upon arriving back into the Garrison, now named 'Ithaca' by High Command, Unity received congratulations, pats on the back, and thanks from the soldiers inside. And Hezekiah relished in all of it. He went from an average footsoldier to the savior of an entire army. Maybe he was just hyping his ego a bit too much? After all, it wasn't due to some brilliant work of his doing. It was the only way Unity could've survived in that situation. The only alternative was hope that the Garrison could fend off the incoming threat, and if that failed, Unity would be left alone and isolated in this world.

Hezekiah brushed off the stipulations. He and his squad had been through enough the past few days, there was no harm in just kicking back and pretending like they did a heroic deed. Besides, their work was far from over. Hezekiah knew it. At any minute, there would be a new assignment. But for now, Ithaca had to rebuild. Destroyed sections of the wall were being replaced. The engineers were getting rid of the dirt walls entirely, and instead, put up concrete. Mortar emplacements, artillery, land mines around the perimeter, Ithaca was prepared for an assault unlike any other.

Hezekiah could hear talk of researchers coming to the world. They wanted to see the dead. They wanted to see everything. High Command had taken this seriously, they would research the enemy and try and unlock their secrets. Everything and anything that they held would be taken back to Earth for research purposes. That battle could never happen again. He heard a lot of words being thrown around by some of the Marines in the base. From the possibility of a coalition of allied nations back on Earth being invited here into the new world, to the idea that the Federal Government was planning on declassifying information of the portal world to the public. Though it was all rumors for now.

"Hey! Hezekiah!" He looked up to see Quinn's head peeking in through the barracks tent.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Command called, they said they want to see the whole squad at Jefferson's place, as soon as possible!"

Hezekiah sighed. Looks like he was unfortunately correct in his idea that Unity wouldn't be able to catch a decent rest. He didn't complain about it too much though, instead, he just stood on his feet, and followed Sergeant Quinn.

They stepped out into the outside. The sun was out and the scarce snow that covered the dirt had melted and turned into mud, though even that was starting to dry out. It was almost too hot for Hezekiah to wear his coat, though a rogue breeze of freezing air would remind him that the winter season wasn't over yet. Around him, he could hear the banging of construction. The almost deafening sounds of jackhammers, machine engines roaring, electric drills, the whole nine yards. Hezekiah had to fight to keep his hands from covering his ears during the construction.

"Where's the rest of the squad?" He almost had to yell out to Quinn.

"I told them all to meet up at the command truck. Flint's in the infirmary getting his arm patched up! I think Lafayette is working on repairing the truck, when those Iscariots fired at our line they managed to score a hit on the engine block! And I think Brian is calling his folks!"

"They have phone lines set up now?"

"I guess so. If they do, I'll probably call my family, but after this is all over, y'know?"

Hezekiah thought it strange how they'd let the Marines call home at this stage. Wasn't the portal world still a giant secret? How did they keep soldiers from blabbering everything out to their families at home?

He'd have to figure that out later, they approached the command truck. Not too far away, the engineers were laying the foundations for what seemed to be a rather large structure. Given the proximity of the foundations to the Command truck, Hezekiah figured that it was the planned command center. Concrete was being laid out in an arc around the Portal, which itself had scaffolding and foundational materials being built around it as a shield. From what Hezekiah could tell, the Center would stretch around the Portal with a large gate in the center to allow for the passage of vehicles, and a concrete dome would shield the portal and connect it with the rest of the base.

There were a lot more Marines at work, the demand was much greater now. Aside from the increased number of footsoldiers, the engineers perhaps made up the bulk of the new additions, and their white helmets and construction vehicles were visible everywhere.

"It's like they're building a damn city out here, I've never seen anything like it!" Quinn read Hezekiah's mind perfectly.

"They're expecting a counter-attack soon," Hezekiah guessed at the reason, "And they think we're gonna be in it for the long haul."

"Mhm," Quinn sighed. The duo walked up to the command truck's steps. The door was already open. Upon entering inside, the two men instantly noticed how cramped it felt. Neither of the two was incredibly tall either, Quinn stood at five feet eleven inches, and Hezekiah was only a few inches taller at six foot one. Even still, the two subconsciously ducked whenever they entered through a doorway, and to say it felt cramped inside was a massive understatement. Though, they managed and entered Jefferson's office tucked in at the back of the command truck.

Upon opening the door, they noticed the rest of Unity was assembled inside, along with them was Major Jefferson and Captain Newman. The room was quite large, seemingly taking up a huge percentage of the available space in the truck. A long wooden oak table sat in the middle of it all, as the members of this meeting took seats around it. TV monitors and phone lines were scattered about, making the room functional.

"Sergeant Quinn! Staff Sergeant Brooks! You've finally arrived!" Jefferson exclaimed, greeting the two men, "Please take a seat"

Hezekiah lowered himself into a rather comfortable office chair, he sat next to a rather relaxed-looking Lafayette on his left, and an anxious-looking Brian on his right. Flint was understandably missing, as he was still in the infirmary. Hezekiah took a quick side glance at Brian who twiddled his thumbs, was breathing hard, and generally looked as if he was worried... incredibly worried.

Hezekiah then remembered that he was supposed to have a conversation with him later on. Perhaps he was worried about that? Well... that couldn't be it. What did Brian think was gonna happen? He had a panic attack on the battlefield, it happens to everybody at some point. He wasn't gonna send him to be court-martialed or anything silly like that. He was simply just going to try and get in his head.

And then he remembered what Quinn said. Brian had been on the phone with his family. He suddenly feared that there might be something wrong in that area, something desperately wrong.

"I'll skip the formalities and get straight to the point," The loud and commanding voice of Major Jefferson took Hezekiah out of his thoughts and back into reality, "Your work today was exceptional, to say the least. Your ability to survive in an unknown environment full of hostile wildlife has shown me and your company officer, Captain Newman, that you've got what it takes to fight here. That's without even considering that you've managed to establish friendly relations with a local nation, and then come back here to fight. That's some serious work, you've earned our respect."

Hezekiah couldn't help but smile, everyone in Unity did. They moved around as they filled themselves off of the pride given through accomplishment. It was no minor task. Even Brian seemed like he had temporarily forgotten about whatever struggles he had, though his limp shoulders and slouched back showed that he was still feeling pretty lousy. Hezekiah placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging pat, "Don't worry kid, we did well out there," He told him.

Brian just slightly nodded. Barely moving at all.

"Though, now that we understand that we do not roam this new world alone, we've found some pretty new challenges. I'm sure you've already realized this, but we are in a state of war right now," Jefferson said, leaning forward. His tone became a lot grimmer as he told them the situation that US forces were in now, "Now... judging by the battle we've fought against the Iscariots just a few hours ago, even with our quaint numbers, we hold a significant advantage over them. Though the enemy is not to be underestimated. Their... 'magic' is incredibly powerful. The government has got a lot of scientists out there trying to figure out what it's all capable of. But until then, we'll be heavily in the dark."

"We've heard reports that you've managed to get some information out there in the forest?" Newman asked as she surveyed her troops. Hezekiah's brain clicked back to two things, Brian's phone recording of the crab monster, and the map that Otaes gave him.

"In fact, We do," He gave Brian a nudge, who looked up at him a bit puzzled, "Show 'em the video you got of that crab thing."

Brian instantly nodded, digging into his pocket, and pulling out his smartphone. After pressing a few buttons, he presented it to Newman and Jefferson, who looked with interest. The monster was in the frame, towering over Unity in the forest.

"Fascinating," Jefferson murmured.

"You know, we've gotten reports of some giant creature that lurked in the forests from the other squads. Though most of the reports say that it was too dark, or they were in a terrible position to find out what the creature looked like. This, however..." Newman trailed off, her eyebrows raised in astonishment, "It just confirms that those reports weren't just because of paranoia, as we originally believed."

In the video the creature's head turned and looked down at Unity, yelling from the squad members became audible, and the camera shook as the soldiers began running, "Was this before or after you got lost in the forest?" Jefferson asked.

"Before, sir," said Lafayette, "In fact, that creature is what got us lost in the first place! We tried to drive away from it but we ran ourselves off the path, and got our truck stuck."

"And that's when you met the elf people?" Newman asked, putting the puzzle pieces together.

"That's right," Hezekiah answered.

The video continued, Hezekiah wondered how. He was sure that Brian had cut the video off after they began running back towards the truck. But the video continued to play, right up to the part with the phoenix flock. Quinn shooed them away, and he exploded into a ball of flames, dropping to the floor and screaming.

Jeffersons face frowned, and Newman raised a hand to her mouth. Both of them were in shock at what they were seeing.

"Those are phoenix's, they exist here," Quinn told them. Clearly, he hadn't forgotten, "They burst into a ball of flames if you get too close."

"Are you alright?" Newman asked Quinn, seeing him catch on fire in the video, "I mean... surely this would've resulted in second-degree burns?"

"I'm alright now, those elf people patched me up real good."

"How? They don't have the technology!" Jefferson asked him.

"Yeah, but they had magic. You should've seen it!" Lafayette told them, "It was like they held out their hand, and a blue light just healed everything on Q's arm!"

Jefferson and Newman looked as if they sorta understood. Though it was still hard to believe. The video ended with Hezekiah pouring his canteen of water on Quinn, and dragging him to the truck, ordering Brian -- the cameraman -- to assist.

The two officers were surprised, to say the least, "Well, well, well..." Jefferson said when the video ended, "I think I should put it in my calendar to meet with the elf leaders. Their army is still in the base as a sign of our hospitality. Do you know their leader?"

"Yep," Hezekiah answered, "We've gotten close. I could ask a few of the warriors in the base if we can arrange a meeting?"

"That would be perfect!" Jefferson told him, "Is there anything else of note you wish to give us?"

Hezekiah nodded as he handed them the map. It was a geographic map of the continent. To the south lie coastal plains and barrier islands that shielded the coast from storms. Large sand bars, long barrier islands, and deep inlets made up the defining features of the south. A large river cut through the hilly terrain and forests of the central continent and ended in the peninsula that Ithaca sat on the southern tip on. Further north was mountainous terrain, colder climate, and running rapids. To the west was a rainforest, though the details were fuzzy and vague. Barely any labels were put there to identify the place. The East however was the polar opposite, with a large archipelago flanked by an even larger gulf with land surrounding it in an arc. Plenty of labels were found here, and even more so in the central parts of the continent. To the north lies a frozen tundra. Glaciers and large lakes dotted the landscape, and the land was painted with an almost solid white.

On the reverse side of the map was a closer regional map of the peninsula. Several markers indicated the position of the Kiote nation, though that was only through inference as the language was indecipherable.

"This is... good. Very good. We'll talk about this more in the future. In fact, I'll send this back to Earth for it to be analyzed, for now... have a rest. You've earned it."

After their brief meeting with Jefferson and Newman, Hezekiah decided that now was an appropriate time to confront Brian, and figure out what the hell was going on in his head.

He managed to catch him alone in the squad barracks, the faint glow of his phone highlighted his face, and the screen reflected in the lenses of his glasses. He lay on his bed, not bothering to even put a sheet over himself. He looked hollow... if that was the right word. Devoid of something, missing an important piece of his life. Was it possible that he was just homesick?

"Yo! Brian!" Hezekiah called out to him, trying to appear as friendly as possible. Though Brian still sighed as he turned the phone screen off, and stowed it away. He slowly turned to look at Hezekiah, an almost fearful look on his face.

"Y-yeah?" Brian mumbled.

"What's going on with you?"

Brian groaned as he held his face in his hands.

"Hey... look at me, bud. I just wanna talk, that's all," Hezekiah said, reaching over and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Talk to me."

"You wouldn't understand I-I..." There was something to be understood? Hezekiah understood what it felt like to be homesick, and Brian should know that. This must've been something personal then.

"What's wrong, Brian? I can't let you have another panic attack in the middle of a battle again. I need a functional squadmate. We needed you out there on the battlefield, and you didn't come through. Talk to me, B-man," Hezekiah shook him a little.

Brian sighed again.

"Is something wrong with the family?"

Brian was still for a moment, thinking about something. When he came to a conclusion, he inhaled and talked to Hezekiah, "I guess you can say that..."

"What's wrong?"

Brian looked at Hezekiah, then at his own boots, "Oh man, it's just... my dad. I came here to make him proud... but now I don't think I'm doing anyone any favors by being here. Me signing up here was a mistake, y'know. I'm not cut out to be a marine."

"Don't say that! You passed bootcamp, you survived out in the forest with the rest of us! You even helped Quinn!"

"Yeah? Then why did I freeze when Flint needed me? I let him... and you... and my family down man," Brian said solemnly.

Hezekiah remembered back to when he found out that Brian was talking to his family, and he wanted to investigate that further. Now that he knew Brian was pissed because of something regarding his folks, it only seemed natural to ask him about the call, "You spoke to your dad on the phone?" He asked.

Brian sighed again, "Sorta. My stepdad, Frank."

"Oh."

"He's my uncle. My dad died when I was a kid... lung cancer or something like that. He fought in Vietnam with my uncle Frank. When he died, Frank married my mom and... well you know the story."

"I see. You happy with him?"

"Frank? No! He's a fucking asshole! He goes out hunting and... drinks and shit. He's the most miserable son of a bitch I've ever seen. But I still have to make him proud... for my dad, you know? I gotta do it for my dad."

Hezekiah understood now. The whole thing Brian said about him wanting to make his father proud, looking up to him, and then hating himself... it all made sense to him now. Hezekiah had no idea how to help him. He wasn't good at providing advice. Not like this.

But then again, he brought himself here. He wanted to know, and he got what he wanted. Brian opened up. Now he looked to Hezekiah for answers, to which Hezekiah had none.

"Military stuff is a family job, huh?"

"Yeah. Dad and Frank were in Vietnam. Their parents fought in WW2 and Korea. So I just came out here to make the line complete."

"It's not a job for everybody," Hezekiah wondered if agreeing with Brian would help things.

"Yeah, it ain't for me."

Nope. That didn't work. In fact, it did quite the opposite, seemingly making Brian even worse off. Hezekiah didn't know how to help Brian without making things worst. The only thing he could do, was to be blunt to him, and tell him what was necessary.

"I can't tell you if you've made the right choice in coming here or not. But what I can tell you, is that until our deployment ends, you're stuck here. And for the meanwhile, I need you to try your absolute best," Hezekiah told him, "We cannot let what happened yesterday repeat itself in the future."

Brian slowly nodded, "Look, I know you're scared. We all are. But we're in it for the long haul now. We need you," Hezekiah told him.

"I got it, sir," Brian said to him, still in a very mopey voice though it sounded a little better.

"Alright, we have a few day's rest before we get new orders. Take the time off to do whatever you need to cool down. Got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Nice."

That went surprisingly well...