Three Strikes [✓]

Retribution

Chapter Forty-Three: Retribution

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Tyler Island, Spring Sea.
September 21st, 2019.
1500hrs.

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Rosa sat slumped in the open doorway of one of the army's trucks, feeling uneasy in spite of the lack of activity near them. In the distance, all through the day, there had been nothing but the distant sound of gunfire and explosions, though it seemed for now the fighting was not near this part of the island. The cliff they were on looked out over the nearby beach, but in the place of the soothing scent of saltwater and the sound of waves on the rocks there was nothing but the smell of smoke and the sounds of war. It made it very hard to relax and count her blessings.

Around her, the Erusean soldiers that took them in were pouring over maps, spreadsheets, and talking into their radios. The medics with them had done their best to treat everyone's wounds, leaving the three of them in better condition than when they started out. There wasn't much she knew about what was going on, and no one had bothered to explain to her the situation. All she knew from the behavior of these soldiers was that their forces had separated, mainly into factions loyal to either General Parrish and his drone project or to General Labarthe and those that opposed the drones. It seemed her country was now destroying itself from the inside out, saving Osea's military the trouble.

Though she hardly approved of General Parrish and his methods, she was not keen on the Eruseans slaughtering each other over some foolish man's thirst for power. But there wasn't much she could do at the moment, feeling powerless and left to recuperate while praying that they weren't found by anyone. Be it Osean forces or other Eruseans. Luckily for them, the area they were in was more isolated.

Tired of sitting still, and having no one for conversation at the moment, Rosa stood up and almost stumbled to her feet. She probably hadn't moved since earlier that morning, and it took a moment for her to get her balance. The fact she was tired did nothing to help this, but it was hard to get sleep out here. Moving closer to the front of the vehicle, where a handful of men were gathered around a map of the island, she hoped she'd be able to hear their conversation better and learn more about everything going on. Without an intimidating presence, at least in her current state, it was easy to go unnoticed. Or at least undisturbed.

"From what we can gather, the Radicals have set up main operations here, in the facility around the mass driver, and here–" one of the soldiers said, pointing at an area towards the south of the island, "– towards the air base the Oseans had reclaimed. Osean forces are scattered in between, but I think most of the Radicals and their drones are now concentrated in these areas."

"Right...and our own forces?" The commander of this group, the one that had ordered that Rosa and her mother as well as Henri were to be treated well and tended to immediately, had his back turned to where Rosa was listening from. She couldn't read his expression, but he sounded tired.

"We've lost contact with the forces on the eastern side of the island. It's not unreasonable to assume they were wiped out in the conflict," a different soldier replied. He pointed now to an almost central area on the island. "Our forces in the residential sectors reported that they've cleared out most of the neighborhoods."

Neighborhoods? The word caught Rosa off guard, but she didn't make a sound as the commander replied, "Good, good. At this rate, all who assisted the Radicals in their plans should be well out of the way. By now all that should be left are the researchers they left behind and a few of the soldiers we picked up, correct?"