[Voice, locked to residents] --EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--

[malnosso]

[At 2:15AM, the journals suddenly blare out an alarm, followed by this message.]

EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. This is an emergency.

The following occupants of the Luceti enclosure must report to the teleporters in twenty minutes. You are required as reinforcements in Region 13. Bring all necessary armaments with you. You will be teleported directly into combat.

Anyone who fails to comply will be forcibly escorted to the teleporters by droids.

This is not a drill. I repeat: this is not a drill. You have twenty minutes.

[The message repeats twice more, the alarm continuing until the twenty minutes has elapsed. No questions will be answered.]

Comments

[yourfononsarewhack]

[He gave a light sigh, but he tried to make it quick. It looks like he would have to explain things after all; things would be moving much more smoothly were Guy here to lend a hand.]

Those would be the Malnosso's enforcers, and they'll be picking us up if we don't make it to the tunnels in the next fifteen - no, make that fourteen - minutes.

[He adjusts his glasses stoically as he looks down towards Anise.]

The Malnosso are engaged in a war that is fought in the world outside this enclosure, against an enemy known as the Third Party. Whenever they need extra forces for their battles, they will draft us, the inhabitants of their enclosures, to supplement their forces for the battle.

[As he explains this, he looks as if there's a bad taste in his mouth.]

Thus, it seems that nearly everyone in the house has been selected for this one. And it seems to be exceptionally dire.

[lastfonmasterguardian]

They're making us fight?

[Now that she's heard it, she does remember someone she talked to when she first got here mentioning the ongoing war. They'd also kind of said something about the drafts, but whoever it was treated the drafts like they were the kind of thing that didn't happen anymore. Anise had been trained as a soldier, but that didn't mean she wanted to go to war!]

Why can't they have their soldiers do it?

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Jade doesn't want her to go to war, either. But he knows at this point that there isn't anything that can be done.]

There are a number of potential factors. One is simply that they do not have enough manpower for the current battle. We'll have to fill those ranks, but we don't have to follow their orders once we're out on the field.

[lastfonmasterguardian]

There's no way to avoid at least going to the battlefield, huh?

[As stubborn as Anise was, if she'd learned one thing she'd learned in the last few months living here it was that whoever lived in the enclosure didn't get a choice. They have a choice about being here in the first place, and they didn't have a choice going to war, either.]

[yourfononsarewhack]

If there was, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. [Jade would have done whatever it could to keep her and Ion, at the least, from having to fight.] If we don't march to the teleporters willingly, those metal men will escort us there. I'm sure that you'll at least want to look out for any of your friends who may have been drafted as well.

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Yeah...it's the five of us, right?

[If nothing else, that made her feel a little better. They'd fought together so much in the past before; if they were able to stick together, they could handle anything!]

[yourfononsarewhack]

That's right. And we have quite the record for taking on tough enemies, do we not? However, we have to make sure that we're fully prepared for combat within the allotted time. Preparations could be a key to our success or failure out there. It's a lot to ask of you, but I trust that you can be fully ready than the time comes. Remember, someone will need to be looking after Ion at all times.

[For the first time in a long time, she can be a fon master guardian again.}

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Ion got drafted too!?

[She could understand them drafting the rest of the party, since they were all competent warriors and had seen a fair share of their own battles. But Ion?]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Well, he certainly could have broken that to her better. But there's no time for regrets at this point.]

I'm afraid so. This isn't the first time he's been drafted, but he's certainly not capable of regular combat. We'll have to take what measures we can to look after him. [He feels he may end up relying on the others to take care of Ion moreos than him; if the battle is such an emergency, he may need to focus on a command position.]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Leave it to me! I'll take care of anything that even thinks about hurting Ion!

[She was angry enough that he was called for a draft and had to go through all this in the first place, there was no way she was going to let him get injured on top of that. She'd already failed protecting him once; it wasn't going to happen again.]

[yourfononsarewhack]

I'm glad to hear that. [He doesn't look particularly glad; just serous.]

If we end up being separated, focus your energies on protecting him. I intend to see both of you in one piece when all is said and done. Is that understood? [No funny sacrificing business.]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[It was rare to see the Colonel this serious, and it kind of scared her. But, she'd worry about that later. For now, she'd focus on being able to protect Ion.]

[She didn't care who came after him; they wouldn't be able to get through Anise Tatlin.]

Roger that, you can leave it to me!

[yourfononsarewhack]

[It's wartime. That means serious business. He's seen firsthand the pain that these drafts could bring, and he practically died in battle with a Cultist once in the past. So he's intent on doing what he can to prevent any other tragedies.

He knows very well that the people living with him have suffered more than enough.

Jade gives her a light smirk.]

I knew that I could trust you, Anise. Now try to finish your preparations as fast as you can. Speak with Tear or I before you leave to make sure that you have everything. [He's said his peace, and they have limited time. It's time for him to move on.]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Aye aye, Colonel! ♥

[She ran back into her room, grabbing anything else that she might have forgotten last minute before going to talk with Tear.]

[Maybe she was a little worried, but she was sure that it would be fine. She'd stick close to Ion, make sure that he didn't get hurt, and they'd all be back here soon. Nothing would go wrong.]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Everything ever will go wrong, ever. Have fun!!!]