Chapter Text
Shiden did not speak to her for three weeks. Lena might have been more concerned had Shana not called her at 6:55pm each night to report in Shiden’s stead. Lena did not ask how they were doing. They were more fine than they should have been. Someone had taken over Brea’s chores, they had divided up her effects – most for Shiden, a few for her other friends in the unit. Lena did not mention the death – they usually preferred it that way, and she had told them early: if someone dies, I will listen to you talk about them, if that is what you want. But she would not be the one to bring it up. It was easier to move on – and in a war zone, they needed to move on. There was no critical mistake in what had happened to Brea. There was no lesson to be learned but one they already knew: in war, good people died. No one could save them.
It was nearly time for her first “date” with Robert by the time Shiden finally was on the line when Shana called. “All normal here. They are not pushing the lines like they were – it stopped two weeks ago.”
Shana had reported the same thing, but Lena was just glad to hear her voice. “Very good. I wanted to introduce the unit to some of our allies. We also need to decide how to contact the other units and explain the situation with the Para-raid.”
“We’ve made contact with our neighboring groups and told them about the plan,” Shiden said gruffly. “They’ll be able to pass the message in their direction until you reach around the wall.”
“What if one of them slips to their handler that they’ve spoken to you?” Shana asked, and Lena could hear the frown.
Lena sighed. “I’m not sure. It depends on their handler. Some handlers would dismiss it as crazy. Others would be accuse me of meddling, which could get me in trouble. I’d need to find an excuse for contacting them.”
“Are they likely to catch our… blank space?” Shiden asked. “If they did, that could unravel everything.”
Lena pressed her lips together. “You’re right. I’d have to ask Annette.”
But when she asked Annette, the scientist just shrugged. “It’s never been an elegant system. We’re relying on a lot of dumbassery and ambivalence, here. But you know, you have another ally who might be able to get you an excuse to communicate with the squads.”
Lena blinked. “Zach is still in school?” she said, “And Miriam isn’t military.”
“No, goose. Carthage. Don’t you have a date with him next week?”
The blood half-drained from her face. She’d accepted the invitation to the theater and dinner, but had been trying so had not to think about it she had managed to forget. “Robert? He’s not an ally.”
“He’s not a trustworthy ally,” Annette corrected her. “But an ally is an ally, no matter how sketch. And doesn’t Robert have a significant role in supplies and supply chains? Ask him to slip a letter of introduction into the next delivery for all units, and have them call you.”
Lena sputtered, but she couldn’t deny that it was an incredibly elegant solution. The 86 would be on their own terms, less likely to be in the middle of something dangerous or with their own handlers when they called. It would leave physical evidence, but physical evidence at the front was less worrisome than other places. “Can we set a passcode?” Lena asked. “Something only 86 would know?”
“A passcode is… not impossible to require,” Annette mused. “But we wouldn’t want to leave it on there, or people would need to put the password in when the legion attack.”
Lena grimaced. “Nevermind.”
“We could make it a channel instead,” Annette suggested. “All we’d need to do is get you another para-raid device and have that be the call sign.”
Lena nodded. “That’s better. Now, what to offer Robert in exchange.” She sighed. “Should I even tell him about the Para-raid?”
Annette sat down and sighed. “I’m not sure. From what you’ve said, he’s doing this for fun and hedging his bets a little. It’s a little weird to me that he’d pull the fire alarm just so you could get to your unit.” She eyed Lena with a pursed lip. “It could have really backfired on him.”
“He got a courtship out of it,” Lena muttered. “And his excuse was that a candle was knocked over.”
“Still,” Annette said. “I think you should feel him out. Ask him what he thinks you’re going to be doing on these dates. Because if you’re courting, you might as well have useful conversations. You’re a tactical genius, Lena, but he’s in supply strategy, and his family is in energy. That’s useful stuff for civilization and espionage. We could use his advice in areas like, how to keep the city running once the Gran Mur is down, where the important energy centers to protect are, and he might even know where good places of shelter are.”
Damn it, damn it, damn it. Annette was right. Robert’s strengths were exactly her weaknesses. Lena sighed. “I’m going to have to get a lot better at tolerating him, aren’t I?”
“Well, he’s better than that scientist I slept with,” Annette shrugged. “Trust me.”
Lena shuddered. “I’d better pick out an outfit.”
Annette grinned. “Now you’re talking. Let’s go shop my closet.”
~^~
Annette helped her choose a navy blue, lanterned sleeve dress which fell to her knees, with elegant, ribboned sandals to accompany. Lena brushed and braided her hair so that it was out of her face, applied the faintest touch of blush and pink lipstick, and then went to her mother for help picking jewelry. Everything she had seen so far was appropriate for a ballgown, but not a date to the theater and dinner.
Margareta swept her into her own rooms, then into her large dressing closet, smiling thoughtfully. “You know, dear,” she said, “I’m over the moon that you settled on someone to court, but honestly, choosing the Carthage boy?” she turned to Lena with a silver chain on which hung an opal the size of her thumbnail. “You know I despise his mother.”
“Sorry, Mother,” Lena said. “He had a very good argument for allowing him a chance.”
“Oh?” Margareta asked, twirling her finger. Lena obediently turned away and lifted her hair. “I’m surprised. Is he interested in freeing the 86 as well?”
“He’s interested in how we will function as a country when they are equalized,” Lena replied. She didn’t have to say how they would be equalized. Margareta had already told her years ago that her theory that the legion would not shut down was too depressing to contemplate. “The Milize name offers him power. The Carthage name offers me legitimacy in politics. Minister Ahrendale offered me a place in the senate at the last ball.”
Her mother sniffed behind her. Lena turned quickly, worried that she had said something to give herself away and her mother was about to take her on the biggest guilt trip in the world. But Margareta was smiling. “Good,” she said. “Now you just have to see if you can stand each other well enough to achieve your goals together.”
Was that the trick? Lena bit her lip. “Thank you, Mother. And I’m sorry if you have to deal with his mother. Why don’t you like her?”
Margereta smiled sweetly. “She tried to steal your father out from under me,” she said. “It didn’t work. She thinks she won because she married a Carthage, but that man smells terrible and goes through prostitutes like candy.” Her mother sighed. “I suppose that’s why she did it though.” She glanced at the clock. “But you should get going. Robert will be here soon! Do you want to borrow my theater glasses?”
~^~
Robert arrived in chauffeured car that looked almost like a half-limosene. He got out, waved to her mother, opened the door for her, and closed it when she sat down. Lena grimaced to see that there was a pane of darkened glass between her and the driver. Robert slid in beside her, knocked on the glass, and the car smoothly pulled away. She took a deep breath.
“So, here we are,” Robert said with a smirk as he leaned back into his seat and stretched his legs out into the empty space. “You look nice.”
“Thanks,” Lena said, unsure how to continue. The ball had been easier; she’d always been surrounded by people, protected by the herd, so to speak. But here in the back seat of a car…
“You look terrified,” Robert sighed. “Look, could you please relax? You and I both know I’m not going to pounce on you like a hungry lion.”
“You literally said you wanted to…”
Robert held up his hand. “You’re right. I didn’t think I had a chance, so I was saying a lot of things just for the look on your face. I’m sorry.”
Lena blinked. “You’re sorry?” she asked. “For what?”
“For not taking this seriously before.” Robert crossed his arms. “Had I known that I was going to actually court you, I wouldn’t have said those things, because we still have to be in a room together. We have to look like we’re have at least a reasonably good time together. And for that, you have to not look scared that I’m going to pin you to a wall and ravage you at all times.”
“You can’t talk like that anymore, then.” Lena said. “I don’t like it.”
“I got that,” Robert sighed. “But you’re right. I won’t talk like that. I won’t make suggestions. I will only touch your hand, shoulder, or waist as appropriate, unless invited or some kind of need arises.”
Lena frowned. It was hard to believe. But this was the best case scenario, really, as long as he kept his promises. “I’ll believe you, for now,” Lena said, and shifted in her seat, forcing herself to relax. “If you keep those promises, this year will be much more pleasant and fruitful for both of us, I’m sure.”
“Good.” Robert sat forward leaned his chin on a fist, and looked over at her. “So. Now that we’re not in the middle of a crowd of listeners – tell me what you meant that first night by a coup. I’m desperately curious. Are we talking a silent coup? A violent overthrow? A quiet buildup of government allies until everyone is in our favor?”
Lena couldn’t help but laugh – not a giggle, but almost a cough of amusement, and she covered her mouth immediately, but Robert caught it and threw back his head to laugh.
“Sorry,” Lena said. “It’s just that… I don’t expect to be overthrowing anything myself. The legion are going to steamroll San Magnolia once they manage to breach the Gran Mur. I described it as a coup, but it’s going to be more like a rescue operation, I’m sure. Some form of military strategy so we can defend at least some of the people of the republic when the Legion fail to shut down.”
Robert frowned. “Do you have communications?” he asked. “That’s your first order of business.”
Lena only nodded.
“I won’t ask how,” Robert said. “Less I know about that the better. But tell me, do you have any plans for occupied city warfare? You mostly work in abandoned urban, now.”
Lena shook her head. “We’re also missing supply considerations: how to feed, house, treat, clothe, train, order a people who have basically farmed the war out to others and then forgotten it exists.”
“You really think the Gran Mur will fall? Are there any Legion who could do that right now?” Robert asked.
“I don’t know for sure,” Lena said. “But there are signs that new machines are being built – I have the track markings from my unit. So it’s possible there is a unit which could be another new unit. Or they could simply overwhelm us and crawl over. You know what that wall is really for.”
“Hm.” Robert said, rubbing his chin. “Your best bet is to keep them outside the wall. But while we’re catastrophizing, let’s say they have a way to get inside: one way or another. That would entirely change the game. Would you try to save infrastructure at that point?”
“Not homes. Not most buildings. Energy structures, water facilities, food warehouses.” Lena said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to fight.”
“San Magnolia is in a pretty sad state to fight anyway. We’d still need the 86. Wouldn’t they just abandon us?”
“They might. But their fate is tied to ours. Where would they go? As far as we know, no other countries are out there.”
Robert snorted. “I bet they are. If we could make it, with our cowardly strategy, other nations made it too. The Eisneflag just make it impossible to communicate, and most countries aren’t willing to do human experimentation for a communication device.”
Lena eyed Robert doubtfully. He had said it so casually, but that the para-RAID had required fatal human experimentation wasn’t exactly a well-known fact. What else did he know? “I only expect a small amount of 86 to defect or refuse to fight.” She said. “Maybe 5%.”
“Expect more like 50% of the San Magnolian military,” Robert said with certainty, “maybe up to 75%.”
The car stopped before he could go on, and Robert smiled. “I think we have a lot to discuss,” he said. “Shall we hold the discussion until after the show? It will give me time to get my thoughts in order, and you to get your questions ready.”
“That sounds… good,” Lena said slowly, and when Robert helped her out of the car, he touched nothing but her hand, and immediately dropped it to close the door, gesturing for her to walk with him rather than taking her by the waist.
~^~