Isolated (Red vs Blue)

21: The Rebels

21: The Rebels

Present Day: New Republic Headquarters (The planet Chorus)

General Vanessa Kimball sat in her office, which was located in the building at the center of her army's base. The huge cavern had done well at keeping the New Republic's forces sheltered and protected. Granted, the location wouldn't have been her first choice, but she couldn't argue with results. If her men were safe at night, the general couldn't really complain about it.

What she could complain about was the lack of results coming from her mercenary. Felix had been tasked with observing the Reds and Blues, who had unexpectedly crashed onto Chorus a few weeks ago. Kimball had instructed the mercenary to observe — strictly to make sure the soldiers were the real deal — and then make contact. So far, Felix had only delivered on the "observe" part of things. If he didn't move things along soon, the Federal Army could grab the Reds and Blues out from under them; the New Republic couldn't afford another loss.

The New Republic was one of two military factions on Chorus. Years ago, when the planet's government began breaking down, the entire population split and took sides. Those who supported a strict government with harsh rules and a cold take on running the economy joined the Federal Army. Anyone who valued freedom and the right to choose their own path sided with the New Republic. Eventually, the differences in opinion became so great that it sparked a civil war. It was a battle that so far had lasted nearly six years. Any attempts at ending the war over the course of time hadn't worked. Leaders on both sides were killed, and countless other lives had been lost. If things didn't get resolved soon, there'd be no one left alive on Chorus.

A knock on the door quickly grabbed the general's attention, snapping her from her thoughts. Kimball looked up to see one of her officers standing in the entrance to the small room. Typically, Kimball instructed her soldiers not to disturb her in her quarters or her office unless it was important.

"You know my rules," Kimball told the other soldier. "Whatever you're about to say, it better be good."

"Felix just returned from his latest scouting mission," the officer informed her. "He said he needs to speak with you about something — right now."

"Did anyone come back with him? Or was he alone?"

"He's alone, ma'am. But he said —"

"I don't wanna hear it. Felix knows his job, and he's not following through with it. You can go right back out there and tell him that until he comes back with the Reds and Blues, I don't wanna see him."

"Are you sure, General Kimball? He sounded like whatever it was he needed to talk to you about was really important."

"Felix can be overdramatic and you know that. Go tell him what I said. Now. Or I'll have you scrubbing the barrack floors for a week."

The officer sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

After the other soldier left, Kimball took off her helmet and sank into her desk chair. She didn't normally make those kind of threats — what little morale the troops still had needed to be preserved — but she wasn't in the mood for no results. The New Republic was barely staying afloat; soldiers were slowly starting to lose hope, and that led to mistakes in the field. Those mistakes ultimately led to countless deaths. The blood of everyone who had died since Kimball took over was on her hands — she didn't need more red in her ledger than she already had.

Kimball turned in her chair and looked at the map displayed on the screen behind her desk. Every place where the New Republic had lost a battle was marked with a red X, and the victories were tagged with a green check mark. The amount of X's far outnumbered the check marks. All known Federal Army bases were tagged with the other army's insignia, while the New Republic's was marked with theirs. Bases controlled by the enemy outnumbered their own by a considerable margin as well. Something needed to change.